Tunisia Says Do Your Part in Battle Against Climate Change

Borj Cedria beach in Tunisia. This North African country speaks up after Copenhagen.

The fallout from the failure of the Copenhagen climate change summit that ended last Friday continues to see world leaders lash out at the international community’s missteps. This time it is Tunisia’s Minister of Environment Nadir Hamada, who said the global leadership must understand the need for strengthening its resolve in the face of climate change. Hamada called on the international community to meet its commitments and to face up to the “dire consequences” of climate change no matter how wealthy a nation may be.

He argued that international efforts to address the issue of climate change, “are still far below expectations,” when it comes to addressing the impact of climate change on developing countries. He added that Tunisia is ready to step up its efforts to contribute to reducing carbon emissions and creating the means to battling climate change.

The minister also reiterated Tunisian President Ben Ali’s calls at the Euro-African Summit held in Lisbon in 2007, to strengthen international solidarity and support African countries in addressing the drastic effects of climate change.

That had been one of the more contentious points last week in Denmark, where African leaders felt the developed world was towering over their voice and rejecting calls for greater responsibility among the wealthier nations. A Sudanese official likened the proposed agreement to a Holocaust against the African continent if signed.

The UN Summit which was the scene of acrimonious debates between delegates of developing and developed nations, had been attempting to negotiate a new international agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions.

The agreement should follow the Kyoto protocol, which came into force in 2005 and was ratified by 175 countries. The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference which closed on December 18, was attended by some 191 countries and almost 1,000 NGO’s.

(This post is reprinted with permission by Bikya Masr)
Image via lucas4891