The aim of the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) should be to come to a global, universal agreement regarding climate change that works for every participant, according to President Jacob Zuma.
“One of the questions we are faced with today is ‘are we ready to have a legally binding universal agreement with regards to climate change?'” said Zuma during the second day of the World Economic Forum on Africa, which is taking place in Cape Town this week.
“The objective has always been to reach a legally binding agreement to accommodate all of us, to protect ourselves collectively. But are we ready for this?” he asked. “The world’s different regions have different views, simply because they affected differently by climate change.”
“In some parts of the world, the effects of climate change are not so obvious, while in other parts it is matter of life and death,” Zuma continued.
“How do we harmonise those views? And what is expected of each one of us to meet a final agreement to take us forward? I hope we will be able to reach this goal in COP17.” — I-Net Bridge