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Africa is perhaps the continent that needs least convincing about
非洲可能是最不需要说服人们相信
the clean energy opportunity for health, livelihoods and economy.
清洁能源对健康、生计和经济的重要性的大陆。
As the fastest-growing, yet least-electrified continent on the globe most in need of power systems
非洲最需要电力系统来帮助抵御气候冲击的影响，
that can help fortify against the onslaught of climate shocks
同时需要丰富的化石能源和可再生能源来建设这些系统，
and with both abundant fossil and renewable energy resources to build them,
作为全球发展最快、但电气化程度最低的大陆，
Africa's energy transitions and how to dissuade the use of fossil fuels
非洲的能源转型以及如何阻止化石燃料的使用
have become an intense international debate.
已成为国际上激烈的辩论。
But what the debates often miss is that Africa is not a single story.
但这些争论经常忽略的一点是，非洲并不是一个单独的故事。
As an energy systems modeler, I can tell you that though the baseline is low,
作为一名能源系统建模师，我可以告诉你，尽管基线很低，
where they do have power,
但在有电力的地方，
many Sub-Saharan African countries already rely on low-carbon resources.
许多撒哈拉以南的非洲国家已经依赖低碳资源发展了。
Kenya, where I live,
我居住的肯尼亚，
generates 90 percent of its power from renewables like geothermal and hydropower.
90%的电力来自地热和水力发电等可再生能源。
Even in West Africa, where renewable shares tend to be lower,
即使是在可再生能源占比往往较低的
countries like Ghana generate over a third of their power from renewable energy resources.
西非，加纳等国也有超过三分之一的电力来自可再生能源。
And countries like Namibia are at the forefront of innovation on clean fuels like green hydrogen.
纳米比亚等国家在绿色氢等清洁燃料的创新方面走在了前列。
Couple all of that with housing one of the world's largest carbon sinks, the Congo Basin,
再加上拥有世界上最大的碳汇之一刚果盆地，
and Sub-Saharan Africa is consistently recognized as pulling more than
撒哈拉以南的非洲地区一直被认为在全球脱碳努力中
its fair share of the global decarbonization effort.
发挥了超过其公平份额的作用。
So unlike the deep emissions reductions, and urgent pivot away from fossil fuels we need to see from heavy emitters,
因此，与重排放国需要的大幅减排和紧急摆脱化石燃料不同，
Sub-Saharan Africa and energy transitions are more a question of
撒哈拉以南非洲和能源转型的问题
how to quickly ramp up generation and distribution capacities in ways
更像是如何以可负担、可获得、有弹性的方式
that are affordable, accessible, resilient, while staying the course of climate compatibility.
迅速提高发电和配电能力，同时保持气候兼容性。
So if the need is urgent and if the resources are bountiful,
所以，如果需求迫切，资源丰富，
then why are we still so far away from this clean energy future for Africa?
那为什么我们离非洲清洁能源的未来还这么远?
I've led the design and deployment of energy projects here myself.
我在这里亲自领导能源项目的设计和部署。
And I found and what I've learned is that though the world loves to remind Africa
我发现并了解到，尽管全世界都喜欢提醒非洲
about its vast clean energy potential,
拥有巨大的清洁能源潜力，
the financial flows to deliver that potential remain troublingly scarce.
但用于开发这一潜力的资金仍然稀缺，令人不安。
Projects and businesses incur a number of hidden compounding costs and premiums.
项目和企业会产生许多隐藏的复合成本和溢价。
Like the risk perception premium.
比如风险感知溢价。
Or the “paying back your US dollar loan in a constantly depreciating local currency” premium.
或者“以不断贬值的本币偿还美元贷款”的溢价。
Or the “expected to deliver conventionally high rates of return
或者是“期望提供传统的高回报率，
while raising your revenues from customers that earn less than a dollar a day” premium.
同时从每天收入不到1美元的客户那里提高税收”的溢价。
So international finance markets are not appetized and financial flows
因此，国际金融市场并不感兴趣，尽管有很多现成的项目，
here remain a trickle despite a pipeline of ready projects.
但资金流入仍是涓涓细流。
Effectively, this prioritizes risk to capital over risk to human life.
实际上，这将资本风险置于人类生命风险之上。
In fact, though, 17 percent of the global population and almost 90 percent of those still without access to basic energy,
事实是尽管全球17%的人口和近90%的人口仍然无法获得基本能源，
today, Africa accounts for a mere two percent of global clean energy finance.
现在的非洲仅拥有全球清洁能源融资的2%。
These realities of local enterprise rarely make it into the models or the debates,
现实中当地企业很少出现在模型或讨论里，
leaving us with a skewed perception of what transition really takes or why progress might seem so slow.
让我们对转型究竟需要什么，以及为什么进展看起来如此缓慢产生了一种扭曲的看法。
