米歇尔·古梅德 开普敦报道——周二，气候活动人士在南非开普敦举行的“非洲能源周”大会外举行示威，呼吁停止在整个非洲大陆开展新的石油和天然气勘探活动，并指责能源企业将利润置于民众与环境之上。
MICHELLE GUMEDE CAPE TOWN — Climate activists picketed outside the African Energy Week conference in Cape Town, South Africa , on Tuesday, calling for an end to new oil and gas exploration across the continent and accusing energy companies of prioritizing profits over people and the environment.
绿色和平组织非洲分部及“灭绝叛乱”组织的活动人士对将非洲打造为化石燃料开发新前沿的举措提出质疑，他们认为进一步投资只会加剧气候变化，给本就深受气候影响之苦的当地社区带来更大威胁。
Greenpeace Africa and Extinction Rebellion campaigners challenged efforts to position Africa as a new frontier for fossil fuel development, arguing that further investment would worsen climate change and threaten communities already grappling with its effects.
“仅今年一年，众多海外石油公司便以牺牲民众生命、生态系统以及非洲人民的福祉为代价，赚取了数十亿美元的利润，”绿色和平组织非洲分部的气候与能源活动人士西亚·迈泽对美联社说道。
“Oil companies from overseas have made billions in profits this year alone at the expense of people’s lives, at the expense of ecosystems, at the expense of African lives,” Siya Myeza, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Africa, told The Associated Press.
迈泽将此次大会称作“非洲剥削周”，指责能源行业导致环境破坏与贫困加剧。警方驱散了这些身着印有“让污染者买单”标语T恤的抗议者。此次抗议正值南非试图大力发展石油与天然气产业以吸引投资、提升能源安全之际。南非政府将天然气视为可再生能源的有力补充，称天然气发电厂可在风能与太阳能发电量不足时保障电力供应。
Myeza branded the gathering “Africa Exploitation Week,” accusing the industry of driving environmental destruction and poverty. Police removed the protesters, who wore T-shirts bearing the slogan “Make polluters pay.”The protests come as South Africa seeks to expand oil and gas development to attract investment and bolster energy security. The government presents natural gas as a complement to renewable energy, saying gas-fired plants could provide electricity when wind and solar output drops.
尽管遭遇法律层面的阻碍，英国能源巨头壳牌仍计划在南非西海岸的北开普超深水区块钻探多达五口深水井，以勘探并评估石油与天然气储量。该项目的环境审批环节已引发诸多申诉。
Despite legal setbacks , British energy giant Shell plans to drill up to five deepwater wells in the Northern Cape Ultra Deep block off South Africa’s west coast to explore for and assess oil and gas deposits. The project’s environmental approval has drawn appeals.
抗议者指出，在各国都应致力于减少碳排放的当下，此类开发计划只会延长非洲对化石燃料的依赖。
Protesters say such plans risk prolonging dependence on fossil fuels at a time when countries should be cutting emissions.
“灭绝叛乱”组织开普敦分部代表朱迪·斯科特-戈尔曼承认，可再生能源议题也会在本次大会上被提及，但她强调活动人士反对推动新的石油与天然气勘探项目。
Judy Scott-Goldman, a representative of Extinction Rebellion in Cape Town, acknowledged that renewable energy would feature at the conference but said campaigners opposed promoting new oil and gas exploration.
她表示，扩大化石燃料的使用将违背《巴黎气候协定》中关于减少温室气体排放的承诺。
She said expanding fossil fuel use would run counter to commitments under the Paris climate agreement to reduce emissions.
“我们在此表明，不希望看到在这片大陆上开展任何石油和天然气的勘探活动，”她对美联社说道。
“We’re here to say we don’t want to see any exploration of oil and gas on this continent,” she told the AP.
她指出，火灾、洪水以及食品价格上涨都是气候变化的后果，并警告称气候变化还可能引发人口迁移与社会动荡。美联社非洲新闻：
She pointed to fires, floods and rising food prices as consequences of climate change, warning that its effects could also drive migration and social unrest. AP Africa news: