Delegates from 193 countries agreed on what has been described as the first truly global plan to cut carbon emissions and to set up a "Green Climate Fund".
Rich nations will have to pay a total of US$100 billion a year from 2020 into a green fund to help poor countries adapt to floods and drought, to enable them to reduce greenhouse gases and to adapt their economies and infrastructure to a changing climate. It will also make it easier for developing nations to obtain patented green technology from developed nations. This agreement can be seen as a real breakthrough as it ensures that both developed and developing nations contribute to solutions for combating climate change.
Although a positive framework to now build on, the deal is still a lot less than the comprehensive agreement that many countries wanted at last year’s Copenhagen summit and continue to seek. It leaves open the question of whether any of its measures, including emission cuts, will be legally binding.
The idea of the Green Fund links closely to the vision of the establishment of the Africa Green Fund under which localised Green Funds are being established. This initiative is being driven by Environment Africa, a regional NGO who has already launched the Victoria Falls Green Fund, the Vumba Green Fund together with the Tikki Hywood Trust and will be launching others together with other partners in the very near future. For further information on this: www.environmentafrica.org
A statement made by Abdulla Alsaidi of Yemen, who chaired the group of developing nations at the talks, said extending Kyoto is indeed the cornerstone of a successful outcome in Cancun. The core goal for the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty agreed to by some nations in 1997 was to fix legally binding targets for nations to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by industry, vehicles and agriculture for combating global warming.
At one stage, the ongoing disagreements between rich and developing nations over the future of the Kyoto Protocol was still the sticking point for real progress. Wrangling over whether to extend Kyoto, which obliges almost 40 developed nations to cut greenhouse emissions by 2012 overshadowed the talks. Although many of these countries are on target to meet their obligations, some of them are now reticent about making further mandatory cuts after 2012. Japan, one of the original proposers of the Kyoto Protocol and one of the worlds largest emitters of greenhouse gases, threatened to withdraw from Kyoto, as long as all major emitting countries did not have similar obligations, highlighting the fact that the US up until now, had rejected the Kyoto Protocol and the exclusion from stricture of Kyoto by other major developing countries, including China, who due to its growth has overtaken the US to become the highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
However, by the close of the talks on Saturday, agreement had been reached, including the commitment by the US, Japan and China. Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon said the summit had allowed leaders to “glimpse new horizons” where countries had the “shared task to keep the planet healthy and keep it safe from [humans]”. Shepard Zvigadza, who chairs the CSOs Climate Change Working Group in Zimbabwe (CCWG Zimbabwe) and attended the Summit said Ban Ki Moon highlighted the fact that climate change affects everything the UN does in trying to achieve positive outcomes, peace, security, development, and human rights; it prevents movement towards the Millennium Development Goals threatens ecosystems and the safety and stability for the poor and vulnerable.
At the same time he pointed out that climate change also presents compelling opportunities. If you are interested in the CCWG-Zimbabwe contact Shepard: szvigadza@gmail.com
Climate change is real and in Africa the impact is already being felt with severe floods and droughts being experienced. Climate change adaptation measures are being promoted and implemented by many local organisations including Environment Africa such as conservation farming, the shift from maize to small grains, water and forest management amongst others.
There are many ways that individuals and can become involved in being part of the change and right now with the rains on our doorsteps we can all get out there and plant trees. – www.environmentafrica.org
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