本周，全球气候谈判又回到了非洲。埃及在美丽的红海度假胜地沙姆沙伊赫主办了第27届联合国气候变化大会。来自世界各地的政治领导人、企业高管和民间社会团体聚集在一起，推动更多的外交努力、商业协议，并建立愿意对抗全球变暖的联合力量。

沙姆沙伊赫将把人们的注意力放在那些对气候危机贡献最小但却遭受最大损失的人身上。非洲的排放量占全球排放量的3%到4%。仅美国一个拥有非洲四分之一人口的国家，对大气的污染是非洲的好几倍。

非洲仍将看到这场危机对人类的严重影响。在索马里和苏丹，我都目睹了非常干燥的地方变得更加干燥；加剧了冲突和恐怖主义，使本来就生活在边缘地带的人口倒退。莫桑比克去年经历了一场毁灭性的洪水。上周，联合国发布了一项全球警告，坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗山（乞力马扎罗山位于肯尼亚边境附近）最美丽的雪冠冰川将在2050年消失。

萨赫勒地区似乎正走向一场气候变化的“完美风暴”，与此同时，该地区的国家实力非常弱，人口增长模式迅速，就业机会很少，圣战恐怖主义势力日益逼近。农业已经处于边缘地位，水资源短缺。

在沙姆沙伊赫，非洲将呼吁气候正义，并要求发达国家为所造成的损害做出赔偿。这些要求是合理的，应该得到国际社会的广泛支持。然而，除了象征性的小收获外，非洲不太可能取得任何成就；如果没有全球合作的话。

因此，非洲可以把重点放在如何向亚洲学习上，把外交努力放在次要位置。虽然亚洲在几十年前被视为全球贫困的中心，但这片大陆的崛起远远领先于非洲。1978年，中国开启了改革开放的征程，取得了巨大的经济成就。韩国和新加坡曾经是极度贫穷的国家，但现在它们站在了世界之巅。越南、印度尼西亚、印度和其他许多亚洲国家也在飞速发展。

因此，非洲可以在金融、信息技术和绿色能源方面超越旧技术。通过肯尼亚的M-Pesa，非洲大陆已经成为数字金融的先驱。太阳能的机遇非常多。一个大多数人都没有接入电网的大陆，可以开发村庄或公司规模的太阳能，收获非洲最可靠的资源：太阳。太阳能是非洲大陆上最便宜的能源，但前期成本对穷人来说是望而却步的。结合可再生能源和信息高科技的现收现付方案是解决方案。几乎所有的非洲人都有手机。

亚洲投资，尤其是来自中国的投资，可以发挥重要作用。中国通过从吉布提到亚的斯亚贝巴、从蒙巴萨到内罗毕的绿色铁路，帮助非洲实现互联互通。我坐在中国制造的车厢里，在中国制造的轨道上，在壮丽的风景中舒适地旅行。亚的斯亚贝巴的有轨电车和尼日利亚卡诺的轻轨是其他令人印象深刻的项目。

与此同时，来自印度金奈的M汽车公司是非洲最大的电动汽车公司之一，即将在多哥、贝宁等地开设工厂。

非洲国家也有令人惊叹的环保故事。博茨瓦纳和肯尼亚从保护国家公园中获得了经济利益。内陆国家卢旺达通过发展旅游经济和鼓励当地人成为大猩猩的前线守护者来支持增加大猩猩的数量。

在自然保护方面，非洲可以向亚洲学习。中国是世界上最大的植树国，在保护大熊猫方面取得了成功。热带雨林大国印度尼西亚去年的森林砍伐率创历史新低。包括全球最大的造纸和棕榈油公司之一RGE在内的印尼企业，支持了一个不砍伐森林的价值链。

非洲可以回顾亚洲如何通过良好的政策和私人投资推动发展。亚洲国家为快速增长提供了榜样，也为非洲在绿色转型中与亚洲政府和企业合作提供了机会。在21世纪，非洲已成为人口增长最快的大陆。与此同时，绿色经济的快速发展是非常明显的。如果非洲从54个独立的市场转变为一个巨大的统一市场，这一进程将会更快。因此，全世界都应该支持非洲的经济一体化。

从亚洲的成功经验中吸取教训，与亚洲建立更深入的伙伴关系和投资，可以加速非洲的绿色转型。

（本文略有删节。）

原文如下

Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Erik Solheim is the former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The global climate talks have returned to Africa this week. Egypt is hosting COP27 in the beautiful Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Political leaders, business executives and civil society groups from all corners of the world have gathered to push for more diplomatic efforts, business deals and creating coalitions of the willing to fight global warming.

Sharm el-Sheikh will put the limelight on those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis while they have suffered the most from it. African emissions account for three to four percent of global emissions worldwide. The U.S. alone, with a quarter of the African population, has polluted the atmosphere many times more.

Still Africa will see severe human impacts of the crisis. Both in Somalia and in Sudan I have witnessed how very dry places have become even dryer; exacerbating conflicts and terrorism, along with setting back populations already living on the margins. Mozambique last year had endured a devastating flood. Last week the UN issued a global warning on glaciers with the most beautiful snowcap of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which is near the Kenyan border, will disappear by 2050.

The Sahel region appears headed for a perfect storm of climate change, coinciding with very weak states, rapid population growth patterns, few job opportunities and looming jihadist terrorist forces. Agriculture is already marginal and water is in short supply.

In Sharm el-Sheikh, Africa will call for climate justice and demand reparations for the harm committed by developed countries. The demands are justified and should receive broad support from the international community. Yet, Africa is unlikely to achieve anything but small symbolic gains; if any at all without global cooperation. The West is more preoccupied with the Ukraine crisis. The underlying geopolitical tensions make progress much harder.

This is why Africa can focus on how to learn from Asia and place diplomatic efforts as secondary. While Asia a few decades ago was seen as the epicenter of global poverty, the continent has emerged far ahead of Africa. China has embarked upon the journey of the reform and opening-up in 1978 and made tremendous economic achievements. South Korea and Singapore were once desperately poor countries, but now they are standing at the top of the world. Vietnam, Indonesia, India and many other Asian nations are surging ahead too.

The Asian miracle was not based on receiving handouts from the rich, but on developing domestic conditions for growth. Aid played a distant secondary role to good domestic leadership and business investments. Additionally, climate aid, tends to be slow, bureaucratic and providing small money. Not one African nation is receiving foreign aid today that is above five percent of their GDP (gross domestic product).

The two biggest developing nations, China and India, see climate change both as a severe global threat and opportunity. China has leapfrogged into electric mobility. China accounts for half the market of electric cars and dominates global production of electric batteries, helping to save the planet while providing jobs and prosperity to the country.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees solar energy and green hydrogen as huge economic opportunities. New solar projects are emerging by the day and Indian tycoons have made incredible pledges for a green India based on renewable energy.

Accordingly, Africa can jump ahead over old technologies in finance, IT and green energy. The continent has become a pioneer of digital finance through Kenya's M-Pesa. Solar energy opportunities are abundant. A continent, where most people are not linked to the grid can develop village- or company-size solar, harvesting the most reliable African resource: the sun. Solar is the cheapest energy on the continent, but upfront costs are prohibitive for the poor. Pay-as-you-go schemes integrating renewable and information high technology are solutions. Nearly all Africans have a mobile phone.

Asian investments, particularly from China, can play a major role. China has helped African connectivity through green railroads from Djibouti to Addis Ababa and from Mombasa to Nairobi. I traveled in high comfort through magnificent landscapes while sitting in Chinese-built coaches on Chinese-built tracks. Trams in Addis Ababa and light rail in Kano, Nigeria are other impressive projects. President Xi Jinping's decision to halt all Chinese overseas coal investment was a significant factor. Beijing has also designated the Belt and Road Initiative as a major vehicle for solar, wind, hydro and green hydrogen investments. Chinese high tech companies such as Huawei and Tencent can help Africa integrate renewable and information technology.

Meanwhile, M Auto from Chennai, India is one of the largest electric vehicle companies in Africa opening up factories in Togo, Benin and other places soon.

There are amazing conservation stories from African countries as well. Botswana and Kenya have benefitted economically from protecting their national parks. Land-locked Rwanda supports increasing the gorilla population by creating a tourist economy and encouraging the locals to become the gorillas' frontline defenders.

In regards to nature conservation, Africa can learn more from Asia. China is the world's biggest tree planter and has succeeded with its conservation of giant pandas. The major rainforest nation Indonesia last year achieved record-low deforestation. Indonesian companies including RGE, one of the world's largest paper and palm oil companies, has supported a deforestation-free value chain.

Africa can review how Asia drove development through good policies and private investment. Asian countries offer a role model for rapid growth and offer Africa chances to partner up with Asian governments and companies amid the green transformation. In the 21st century, Africa has become the fastest growing continent in population. Meanwhile, rapid green economic development is very visible. This will move much faster if Africa moves from 54 separate markets to one huge unified market. Therefore, the entire world should support African economic integration.

The African green transformation can be supercharged by learning lessons from the Asian success story and by forming deeper partnerships and investments with Asia.