Global warming: Blame the rich nations

The African Civil Society movement this week moved swiftly to denounce rich countries for excessive consumption and pollution of the environment. The condemnation surfaced during the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA)’s 5th Pre-Amcen Civil Society Consultative Meeting with major groups and stakeholders in the African region, in Gaborone.

The developed countries were told to accept their historical responsibilities that current atmospheric concentrations are principally the results of their historical emissions of greenhouse gases, the largest share of which originated from their countries.

The industrialised nations were further told to cut drastic emissions at domestic level as they share a larger portion of causing the climate change through human activities such as energy, agriculture, transport and industries.

They emit green house gases being carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and these are polluted elements which block solar radiation from entering into the atmosphere, which leads to global warming.

Though science points to the current emissions of some emerging economies exceeding the industrialised countries, it was highlighted that everyone should recognize that there is an urgent need for emission cuts by having specific target for All Anex 1 parties to reduce emissions by atleast 40 percent below 1990 level by 2015 and 100 percent by 2050 below 1990 level.

PACJA Coach of Continental Executive Committee (Ethiopia) Dr. Habtemarian Abate told WeekendPost in an interview that developed countries have been emitting these gases from 1850 and African nations have done this only since the last 20 years.

Read more in The WeekendPost http://www.weekendpost.co.bw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1072:global-warming-blame-the-rich-nations&catid=58:news