来源：《基督科学箴言报》
原文刊登日期：2023年6月22日
World leaders gathered in Paris on Thursday to help low-income countries shift toward a post-carbon future. The effort is up against at least one big obstacle: The cost of borrowing for poorer nations is two times higher than for richer ones. At the same time, many of these countries are also major sources of strategic metals used in green technologies like batteries and solar panels. That points to another obstacle: how to safely extract the metals for a country’s financial benefit without an upsurge in corruption.
周四，世界各国领导人齐聚巴黎，帮助低收入国家转向后碳时代的未来。这项努力至少面临一个巨大的障碍：较贫穷国家的借贷成本是较富裕国家的两倍。与此同时，其中许多国家也是电池和太阳能电池板等绿色技术中使用的战略金属的主要来源。这指向了另一个障碍：如何在不加剧腐败的情况下，为一个国家的经济利益安全地开采金属。
In response to these issues, more companies and countries are adopting stronger codes of conduct that call for transparency as well as a financial concern for communities where the metals are found. The trend is nascent, but it shows that the threat of “green corruption” can be turned into an opportunity for honest governance.
为了应对这些问题，越来越多的公司和国家正在采取更强有力的行为准则，要求提高透明度，并关注发现金属的社区的财务问题。这一趋势尚处于萌芽阶段，但它表明，“绿色腐败”的威胁可以转化为廉洁治理的机遇。
“Just including a clause in a legal contract isn’t going to tackle” corruption, says Hannah Koep-Andrieu of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Global demand for green-tech metals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium will increase as much as thirtyfold by 2040. Already, 1 in 5 cases of transnational bribery occurs in extractive industries – oil, metals, timber, metals – according to the OECD. The International Monetary Fund found that illegal tax avoidance by mining sector companies costs sub-Saharan African countries from $470 million to $730 million in lost revenue annually.
经济合作与发展组织(OECD)的Koep-Andrieu表示，“仅仅在法律合同中加入条款并不能解决”腐败问题。到2040年，全球对钴、镍和锂等绿色科技金属的需求将增长30倍。根据经合组织的数据，五分之一的跨国贿赂案件发生在石油、金属、木材、金属等采掘业。国际货币基金组织发现，矿业公司的非法避税使撒哈拉以南非洲国家每年损失4.7亿至7.3亿美元的收入。
Many of the countries where green supply chains are most vulnerable to corruption, conflict, and human exploitation like child labor lack the capacity to counter these risks through regulations or law enforcement.
许多绿色供应链上的国家最容易受到腐败、冲突和童工等人类剥削的影响，这些国家缺乏通过法规或执法来应对这些风险的能力。
But weak law enforcement does not necessarily mean a lack of political will. More than 50 countries have signed on to an integrity standard known as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. These countries commit to working with businesses and civil society to ensure transparency in data, contracts, and corporate ownership.
但执法不力并不一定意味着缺乏政治意愿。50多个国家签署了一项名为“采掘业透明度倡议”的诚信标准。这些国家承诺与企业和公民社会合作，确保数据、合同和企业所有权的透明度。
Statkraft, the largest generator of renewable energy in Europe, applies their own standard of transparency and human rights protection in the 20 countries where it has projects. “You cannot work on corruption in one way and human rights breaches in a completely detached, separate way,” said Maja de Vibe, a senior vice president of Statkraft. The only solution is “to build capability not just within government, but also within civil society, and have that combine with responsible business practices.”
Statkraft是欧洲最大的可再生能源生产商，在其拥有项目的20个国家采用了自己的透明度和人权保护标准。Statkraft高级副总裁Vibe表示：“你不能以一种方式处理腐败问题，也不能以完全独立的方式处理侵犯人权的问题。”唯一的解决方案是“不仅在政府内部，而且在民间社会内部建立能力，并将其与负责任的商业实践相结合。”
The vocabulary around climate change tends to emphasize vulnerability and inequality. Yet the pursuit of a greener future is fostering integrity in business and governance, drawing humanity together to uplift both the environment and poorer nations.
围绕气候变化的词汇往往强调脆弱性和不平等。然而，追求更绿色的未来正在培养商业和治理的诚信，将人类团结在一起，既改善环境，又提升贫穷国家。