African negotiators accuse Europe of trying to kill Kyoto

By: Henry Lutaaya on December 15th, 2009

African negotiators have accused European countries of attempting to withdraw from commitments they made under the Kyoto protocol.

Philip Gwage, Uganda’s chief negotiator, on Monday said: “Europe desperately wants to walk away from the Kyoto protocol. They (European countries) are giving excuses that they do not want to move without the US. It is a great shame.”

“How do you walk away from a bold decision you have signed up to? If Europe takes a decision, (to commit to reducing greenhouse gases) it should try by all means to respect it and not break away.”

South Africa’s minister for water and environment, Buyelwa Sonjica, also disclosed that Africa will not support any deal that ignores targets by rich countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, Yvo de Boer, the Secretary General of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told a press conference on Monday morning that keeping Kyoto targets “is not just an African concern.”

Under the 1977 Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries committed themselves to reducing their emissions by 20 per cent in the first phase of implementation (2008 – 2012).  However, the United States did not assent to the  Kyoto accord, and this has caused anxiety to other industrialized countries.

African negotiators fear they will lose the gains they have made under the Kyoto protocol.

Africa’s move has been supported by representatives from some non-governmental organizations that are following the negotiations.

The World Wide Federation (WWF) said in a statement: “We believe a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol is a necessary part of the two-protocol outcome of Copenhagen, and we support Africa’s demands for this.”

In 2007, all 192 member countries of the United Nations, including the United States launched an alternative process called the Long term Cooperative Action (LCA) with the objective of getting all countries to participate in reducing emissions.

Major industrialized countries that signed up to the Kyoto protocol are also expected to set new higher targets for the second phase of Kyoto’s implementation in order to match the targets scientists say are needed to avoid a catastrophy arising from global warming.

De Boer says he does not think the US is opposed to a legally binding agreement under the LCA. US’s major concerns, De Boer said, are that developing countries such as China and India should commit to reducing their own emissions.

On Monday morning, African negotiators led a walk-out protest over what they termed an attempt by European countries to sideline discussions on the future of the Kyoto protocol.

Negotiations resumed in the afternoon only after assurances from Connie Hedegaard, President of COP 15 that discussions on the Kyoto protocol would continue.