From the sessions I have attended so far, I fear for the worst. I have a sense that there is indecisiveness and lack of commitment by developed countries to make a second commitment to the Kyoto Protocal (KP) .
As a young African and more so, a South African on whose soil the COP17 is being held, I long to see the second commitment period of the KP come to pass because without a legally binding agreement “this ship” will lose its course.
The second commitment period poses as sails right now, as it is the only viable option to steer us towards a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal regarding the curtailing of greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere.
What I find unfortunate in the on-going negotiations is the fact that the captain of the “KP ship” is the developed countries but they do not want to make a commitment. Is it because they have already invested in their economies just in case the KP sinks? For me, this is devastating because our disadvantaged nations are the ones to bear the burden.
The “KP ship” which has been afloat since 1997 has only 12 months to survive unless COP17 throws it another lifeline
My call to non-governmental organisations taking part at the COP 17 negotiations is keep the fire burning, use all means within your reach to tell the climate story. I will play my bit to tell the story using my “pen and paper.’