adminnegotiations with an urge to extend the Kyoto Protocol.
This comes after China, the world’s biggest polluters after United States of America, signaled its intention to give the protocol another lifeline.
The development comes a few days ahead of the arrival of at least 20 heads of State and Government and 123 Government Ministers to append signatures on the agreed areas.
The Kyoto Protocol which is scheduled to expire December 2012, seeks to bind all countries and institutions in the world to reduce gas emissions and save the world from uncharacteristic climate change which results in high temperatures, droughts, floods and shifting of rain fed agricultural seasons.
While pessimists had already dismissed the Kyoto Protocol as grave-bound, Cop 17 president and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations, Ms Maite Knoana Mshabane told journalists yesterday that reports she had received pointed to an extension to give countries like Canada, US and Japan and many European Union countries, which had developed jelly feet time to sort themselves out.
Ms Mshabane said the delegates were now mainly looking at the “How” aspect.
“Pessimist thought Kyoto was already one foot into the grave but reports we are receiving from negotiations show that the biggest possibility will be an extension.
“The issue that has probably remained is the How.
“This, I think, is what the negotiators are now working on,” she said.
Commenting on the threat by Japan and Canada to de-campaign the extension, Ms Mashabane said, the two countries “cannot beat the determination of others” who are the majority.
Speaking on the same press conference, UNFCC secretary general Ms Christiana Figueres said what was important was China’s commitment, since China is one of the top two polluters of the world.
“From last week’s negotiations it has become apparently clear that the issue of the green fund for climate adaptation for developing countries is positively coming out,” she said.
Yesterday, the plenary session that had disappeared toward the end of last week re-appeared with delegates showing seriousness by spending hours on end on the negotiations.
The latest development reaffirms Africa’s commitment to make sure that the Kyoto Protocol does not die and get buried on its soil.
Online Reporter