A multimillion-dollar plan to help sub-Saharan African and other poor countries adapt to climate change is being formulated by British diplomats on the eve of a key international meeting.
More than 100 countries are gathering this weekend in Nairobi, Kenya, for the conference on global warming with the aim of providing an extended life to the Kyoto agreement.
But many African countries on the front line of climate change have complained that little investment is directed at the continent, which is already deeply affected by prolonged droughts and floods.
British and other diplomats are pressing for rich countries to agree a new United Nations fund, worth hundreds of millions of pounds, to be financed by a levy on the burgeoning global trade in carbon emissions. The fund would be similar to the successful clean development mechanism (CDM) set up 15 months ago by the UN to help poor countries achieve sustainable development by allowing rich countries to invest in clean projects in return for carbon credits. More than £6-billion of emissions credits have so far been traded, and India and China in particular have benefited.
So far Africa has almost entirely missed out. ”There is clearly an injustice here and Africa and other countries will be pressing for new funds. It is one of the things we hope to achieve in Nairobi,” a British diplomat said.
The meeting, which will be attended by the British Environment Secretary, David Miliband, will be the first since the Kyoto agreement came into force this year.
No formal negotiations will take place, and no new agreements signed, but the meeting is expected to move towards getting rapidly industrialising countries such as China, India and Brazil to commit to cutting emissions after 2012 when Kyoto runs out.
The Nairobi meeting is expected to further isolate the US and Australia, two of the richest countries in the world, which are both heavy emitters of greenhouse gases but have resisted signing up to Kyoto or setting legally enforceable targets and timetables.
On Friday night diplomats said they were optimistic that both countries would be forced to soften their stance for domestic political reasons. The success of the Democrats in this week’s US midterm elections and Australia’s serious drought are forcing both countries to rethink their international obligations.
The meeting will also underline the deadly consequences for poor countries if nothing is done about stemming greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists, economists and non-governmental organisations will present new papers on the vulnerability of poor countries.
”Climate change threatens to derail efforts to reduce poverty in the developing world,” said Saleemul Huq, a spokesperson for the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development.
”The world’s poor must be helped to face and adapt to the threat of climate change. It is essential to act now to prevent catastrophic impacts, rather than face terrible consequences later.”
Delegates will on Monday hear presentations on the risks climate change could bring in Algeria, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa, Tajikistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Studies in sub-Saharan Africa predict that areas suitable for growing important crops could shrink drastically as the climate gets warmer and drier.
One study of six African countries by ActionAid International shows that frequent droughts and floods are being recorded, trapping people in a cycle of poverty and hunger. – Guardian Unlimited Â