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24 November 2011 | News | Climate Justice and Energy | COP 17
"Stronger Targets"
Environmentalists concerned over US agenda at Durban climate talks
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The same old story: despite being the major responsible for causing climate change, developed nations attend the UN climate negotiations to try to undermine the global agreements reached in terms of emissions reductions.
Meanwhile, social organizations continue to be on the alert. Environmental federation Friends of the Earth expressed its concern in a press release issued on November 22 ahead of the 17 Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Convention on Climate Change to be held in Durban, South Africa, from November 28 through December 9.
According to the group, the climate talks “have been deadlocked” since the beginning of the decade because of the failure of developed countries “to deliver on their moral and legal obligations for climate action”.
Social organizations warn that in the last two years the international negotiations have taken an even more worrying turn, with the US, Japan and others “pushing to scrap the agreed, legally-binding framework for developed country emissions cuts”. They instead want to replace it with a “voluntary ‘pledge and review’ approach. This would put the world squarely on track to catastrophic global warming”.
“Millions of people around the world are already facing the impacts of the climate crisis. Yet many developed country governments are acting with complete impunity”, said Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Friends of the Earth International coordinator of the Climate Justice and Energy Programme.
Bobby Peek, director of Friends of the Earth South Africa / groundWork, recalled that “In South Africa, it was the power of peoples’ struggle that defeated apartheid. Once again our communities need to organize, mobilise and help build not just a new South Africa but a new just and sustainable world”.
“Durban could be where the greatest crime against humanity is committed. The blind greed and self-interest of developed countries could literally pass a death sentence on the peoples of Africa”, said Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International.
Friends of the Earth is developing a strategy for developing nations to resist the drive from the US, Japan and others towards climate catastrophe. “The EU must prove its climate leadership or take its share of responsibility for what could be a disastrous outcome in Durban. The world cannot wait any longer” concluded Nnimmo.
