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22nd November, 2011
UNFCCC Session To Take Place In Durban
The 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place in Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
This is the first time such an international conference is taking place on African soil since previous sessions that took place in Cancun, Mexico in2009 and Copenhagen, Netherlands in 2010 came out with a wide range of decisions on various issues of the negotiations that has been ongoing while Durban is expected to firm up the Cancun and Copenhagen agreements and resolve outstanding issues in the negotiations in Durban.
There have been heightened concerns over scientific conclusions regarding the social, economic and environment impacts of climate change globally, and particularly for Africa, having contributed the least adaptive capacity.
The UNFCCC has confirmed that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change.
All of Africa is likely to warm during this century, that is, the warming is very likely to be longer than the global annual mean warming throughout t6he continent and in all seasons the temperature increases roughly 1.5 times the global mean response.
The Convention has set an overall framework for global efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change and recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Governments are required to gather and share information greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices, cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change and launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to expect impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries.
Ghana and the rest of Africa has been experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change through droughts, floods and other sectors of the economy are likely to face potential threats and challenges.
Even though incidence of climate change is having impacts on the country, it has continued to play a lead role in the sub-region as far as climate change discussions are concerned. Ghana played active roles in the Convention negotiations, especially in mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology and legal contact groupings.
Climate change is expected to increase human mobility, which may result in the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and increase human vulnerability as a result of extreme weather conditions and event, and long term environmental degradation since most countries in Africa are climatically and social vulnerable because of weak capacities to adapt and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
According to experts on global warming and climate change, Africa needs sustainable financial resources to enable it to address socio-economic challenges since people in Africa line in climatically and environmentally favourably zones.
On the other hand, investment in health and education in Africa are needed for human and social development and for promotion.
Mr. K. Y. Oppong-Boadi, Chief Programme Officer, Energy Resources and Climate Change Unit, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that climate change has great significance for sustainable development plans and livelihoods which should be realized as a development issue for the country.
He explained that “the diversity in agro climatic regimes across the country from savanna to rainforest with differing degrees of temperature and rainfall vulnerability make discussion of climate change for Ghana challenging”.
For his part, Mr. Yaw Kwakye, a member of the Forestry Commission, observed that “Reduction Emissions from Def0orestation and forest degradation should compel policymakers and legislators to safeguard the environment from degradation through a legal framework on forestation”.
Mr. Daniel Tutu Benefo, a senior official of EPA, cautioned that “more work needs to be done by developing countries on the maintenance of the two track approach”.
Dr. Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng, Senior Programme Officer, EPA, said “the advent of global warming and climate change is a warning to stop degrading the environment or suffer the consequences, especially in the agriculture sector”.
Contributing, Mrs. Angela Mensah, Deputy Director in charge of Public Relations, EPA, expressed worry about the situation where gender issues had been neglected to the background since the advent of the Conventions resulting in the high index of mortality of women during disasters which causes an increase in infant mortality and orphaned children.
It has been realized by the experts that some aspects of negotiations will continue to be difficult so there is the need for developing countries and the African Group to work for the convergence of positions in the operationalization of new technology mechanism, Adaptation Committee, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), support the establishment and operationalization of the Green Climate Fund and a process of direct access to provide adequate and appropriate financial mechanisms to address climate change impacts on the African continent.
The boat of negotiated texts, unfulfilled pledges, uncertainties and anxious moments has travelled along the way from Copenhagen (2009) through Cancun in 2010, and berth in Durban, 2011.
The 11th hour has arrived and the developing group cannot allow the Kyoto Protocol to die after Durban.
This is the first time such an international conference is taking place on African soil since previous sessions that took place in Cancun, Mexico in2009 and Copenhagen, Netherlands in 2010 came out with a wide range of decisions on various issues of the negotiations that has been ongoing while Durban is expected to firm up the Cancun and Copenhagen agreements and resolve outstanding issues in the negotiations in Durban.
There have been heightened concerns over scientific conclusions regarding the social, economic and environment impacts of climate change globally, and particularly for Africa, having contributed the least adaptive capacity.
The UNFCCC has confirmed that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change.
All of Africa is likely to warm during this century, that is, the warming is very likely to be longer than the global annual mean warming throughout t6he continent and in all seasons the temperature increases roughly 1.5 times the global mean response.
The Convention has set an overall framework for global efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change and recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Governments are required to gather and share information greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices, cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change and launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to expect impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries.
Ghana and the rest of Africa has been experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change through droughts, floods and other sectors of the economy are likely to face potential threats and challenges.
Even though incidence of climate change is having impacts on the country, it has continued to play a lead role in the sub-region as far as climate change discussions are concerned. Ghana played active roles in the Convention negotiations, especially in mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology and legal contact groupings.
Climate change is expected to increase human mobility, which may result in the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and increase human vulnerability as a result of extreme weather conditions and event, and long term environmental degradation since most countries in Africa are climatically and social vulnerable because of weak capacities to adapt and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
According to experts on global warming and climate change, Africa needs sustainable financial resources to enable it to address socio-economic challenges since people in Africa line in climatically and environmentally favourably zones.
On the other hand, investment in health and education in Africa are needed for human and social development and for promotion.
Mr. K. Y. Oppong-Boadi, Chief Programme Officer, Energy Resources and Climate Change Unit, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that climate change has great significance for sustainable development plans and livelihoods which should be realized as a development issue for the country.
He explained that “the diversity in agro climatic regimes across the country from savanna to rainforest with differing degrees of temperature and rainfall vulnerability make discussion of climate change for Ghana challenging”.
For his part, Mr. Yaw Kwakye, a member of the Forestry Commission, observed that “Reduction Emissions from Def0orestation and forest degradation should compel policymakers and legislators to safeguard the environment from degradation through a legal framework on forestation”.
Mr. Daniel Tutu Benefo, a senior official of EPA, cautioned that “more work needs to be done by developing countries on the maintenance of the two track approach”.
Dr. Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng, Senior Programme Officer, EPA, said “the advent of global warming and climate change is a warning to stop degrading the environment or suffer the consequences, especially in the agriculture sector”.
Contributing, Mrs. Angela Mensah, Deputy Director in charge of Public Relations, EPA, expressed worry about the situation where gender issues had been neglected to the background since the advent of the Conventions resulting in the high index of mortality of women during disasters which causes an increase in infant mortality and orphaned children.
It has been realized by the experts that some aspects of negotiations will continue to be difficult so there is the need for developing countries and the African Group to work for the convergence of positions in the operationalization of new technology mechanism, Adaptation Committee, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), support the establishment and operationalization of the Green Climate Fund and a process of direct access to provide adequate and appropriate financial mechanisms to address climate change impacts on the African continent.
The boat of negotiated texts, unfulfilled pledges, uncertainties and anxious moments has travelled along the way from Copenhagen (2009) through Cancun in 2010, and berth in Durban, 2011.
The 11th hour has arrived and the developing group cannot allow the Kyoto Protocol to die after Durban.
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