COP 16 roadmap for Ghana to achieve support on climate change

From Albert Oppong Ansah, A GNA Special Correspondent, Cancun, Mexico (Courtesy: British Council Ghana/Ministry of Environment Science and Technology/World Bank)

Cancun (Mexico) Dec. 10, GNA- Developing countries including Ghana are likely to get support in their quest to adapt to and mitigate the harsh effects of climate change at the next summit on climate change to be hosted by South Africa in Durban.

The African group and the G77 are in the process of negotiating with developed countries for support in changing weather conditions caused by the advanced economies decades ago through industrialisation. Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah, Director of External Relations of the Economic Community of West African States made this known to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at the on-going 16 session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) - official name of the on-going climate change conference in Cancum, Mexico.

The confab is also the sixth session of the COP, serving as a meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Cancun Mexico.

"We are currently advocating funds from the developed south to be able to survive the harsh effects of climate change. as a result of their industrialisation some decades ago," he said.

Dr Musah said the group is also calling strongly for the developed and some developing countries to cut down their emission by resorting to appropriate technology.

He said the climate fund proposed by the developed south at COP 15 in Copenhagen was inadequate to help developing countries to adapt to climate change.

"The commitment of $30 billion to the developing world over the next three years, rising to $100 billion per year by 2020, was woefully inadequate to take care of climate change and its related problems globally," he said.

Mr Jan Burck, Senior Adviser of Climate Change Performance Index at Germanwatch in an interview with GNA said developed countries needed to commit funds to help developing countries address climate change effectively.

"We have not done enough as developed countries to support developing countries especially Africa, which contribute little to the climate change mess. We are not treating them fairly leaving them with problems like hunger, poverty and diseases including HIV and AIDS, malaria among other things," he said.

Mr Burck said: "In my candid opinion COP 16 will prepare the grounds for a good package for Africa to aid their mitigation, adaptation agenda". In a related development some leaders of least developed, Small Island and developing countries at the on-going COP 16 had said that they would be highly disappointed if the developed world failed to reach an agreement to support them with funds as the meeting came to an end in the next two days. A draft COP decision has been reached on Article six, which focused on public education and raising awareness on climate change. 10 Dec. 10