Mike Loewe
2 December 2011
The United States is dragging down the entire climate change process, putting 20 years of progress at risk and committing the world to a terrifying two-degree increase in global temperature, the Climate Action Network said at their daily COP17 media briefing.
Sounding more despondent, compared to hopeful five days ago, CAN speakers said a gulf was developing between the world’s largest polluter – itself suffering the ravages of climate change – and developing nations, led by Africa, which was set to “burn”, and the 43-member Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), which were being submerged by rising oceans.
World Wildlife Foundation USA’s Keya Chatterjee, who missed COP16 “because I was having a baby”, said she was “disturbed” to see how the gains of Copenhagen (COP16) had not been realised.
She criticized her country for seeking to delay an effective climate change agreement until 2020, which was too long to wait, even for the USA where 47 states have, for the first time, declared climate change emergencies.
Losing the Kyoto Protocol would be a loss of “all the rules” forged over the last 20 years.
“We would have to start from scratch.”
“Closing all the viable options (at this conference) will have the effect of ending any effort to limit global warming to two degrees.”
CAN’s Srinivas Krishnaswamy said that, also “for the first time”, countries were negotiating well in groups, but the main issue of time lines for implementation of agreements was the main obstacle.
CAN’S Martin Kaiser accused European Union states of “coming to Durban to hide behind the low ambitions of the USA”.
“Where is the will to fight?”
He lashed out at European corporate business leaders who “are all about in Durban arguing for a level playing field” at COP17. The corporates’ aim was to reduce negotiations to the “lowest denominator”.
AllAfrica – All the Time
See more here:
Africa: Activists Hit Out at U.S. Over Climate Talks