Africa To Walkout On Copenhagen Climate Change Summit?

Will the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen penciled for December 7 to 18 collapses even before it starts? There are red lights flashing before Copenhagen which has been described us the last chance for any tangible decision to be agreed.

African nations have said that rich nations are not doing their fair share to cut down on global carbon emissions to ease the effects of climate change. It is estimated that Africa would be the most affected continent to suffer from the new phenomenon, although Africa contributes the least to the problem.

Ironically, industrialized nations spend about US$600 billion on security and military services when developing countries, which are the least pollutants, need just a fraction of this amount of money to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

This ‘unconcern’ attitude will cause Africa to pee on any unfavourable agreement in Copenhagen. It is believed that the developing nations are more serious about climate change woes more than ever. Some analyst believe if developing nation are firm in their stands and show more zeal and tenacity, something good might occur at Copenhagen for poor nations.

African nations first proved their seriousness at the Barcelona preparatory meeting, when they staged a walk out from the meeting. The Barcelona talks sought to look into a number of natural remedies that might help manage the rise in global emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the main by-products from the burning of oil, coal, and other fossil fuels in electrical power plants and heavy industries.

The Barcelona meeting provided few signs that the major players in the global economy would act to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020 below 1990 levels and between 80 and 95 percent by 2050.

The meeting was however stalled by the African nations who said rich nations were not showing commitment to the problem.

They urged for better percentage in reduction but currently, the European Union (E.U) is proposing a 30 percent reduction which is way too low. If African nations stick to their plans, then no agreement would be reach and this is where African leaders will be examined.

African nations are tired of the promises and want a strong declaration or treaty.

There is still too much disagreement on climate change issues and chances are slim that industrialized countries will be able to put aside at least 1.5 percent of their GDP to support climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa.

Richer nations, except the United States, agreed at a 1997 United Nations-sponsored forum in Kyoto, Japan, to reduce their industrial emissions by 11 percent to 15 percent from their 1990 levels by the year 2020.

But a growing number of climate change activists from developing nations, many of them in Africa, argued that richer nations such as Japan, Britain, Germany, and the USA, which did not sign the Kyoto Protocol, to cut emissions by as much as 40 percent in order to slow down climate change.

Alf Wills, head of the South African delegation was quoted by Reuters saying in Barcelona that richer nations are using “delaying tactics” rather than talking about how Europe and the industrial nations can share the burden more fairly in cutting back on carbon emissions.

Rich industrialized countries, the major culprits of carbon emissions, are showing no signs of commitment to save the world environment from imminent collapse and to provide much needed relief to poor countries which are being hit hardest by climate change that was not of their own making.

It is difficult to see how the Copenhagen Summit will strike a deal on climate change when the self-serving logic of rich industrialized nations is vicious and clear for all to see. Climate change critics say powerful nations still want to continue exploiting the available resources of the world and hence cannot tie down themselves to cut emissions and compromise the quality of the lifestyle for their people.

Signs of the debilitating effects of climate change are written all over Africa. Climate change is an immediate danger which is causing more frequent extreme weather conditions of drought and flooding, bringing untold hardships to the poor.

In the context of Ghana, much is not being talked about on the summit and it seems the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology has inadequate zeal to ensure all citizens know more about the climate change. The media is doing its part but government needs to show more concerns about the dangers of climate change.

For close to two month now, the British government has launched its stands on climate change. The English have issued their stands and it is accessible for download on the Internet.

The document reaches out to all Britons to send their thought and debate the stands of the government. Ironically, Ghana and some African nations, which would be affected most, are yet to do something for their citizens.