Climate Change News South Africa

Government leadership may avoid Copenhagen-style "shambles"

Ensuring the future of the international climate agreement - the Kyoto Protocol - is vitally important, if the UN climate conference, hosted by South Africa and starting in Durban on November 28, is to be a success, said Ferrial Adam, a climate change campaigner for Greenpeace Africa.

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which was drawn up in the late 1990s, to cut dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, expires next year and the South African government is doing all it can to avert the "death" of the Kyoto Protocol - "There is definite nervousness about the protocol dying in Durban," said Adam.

Referring to what she termed as the "shambles" of Copenhagen, where only weak commitments to cut emissions were achieved, Adam challenged the South African government to demonstrate decisive leadership in Durban. "I believe," she said "the protocol is the only legally binding agreement the world has. It's not perfect, but it's what we have to hold countries accountable for their contributions to climate change."

Read the full article on www.iol.co.za/.

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