Emissions Cut Deal Seen as Encouraging in Most Affected Countries

Developed countries should set their carbon emission reduction targets and increase their investments in climate change mitigation projects like renewable energy generation in developing countries to ease effects of global warming, environmental activists and people involved in mitigation projects have said. "Curbing of emissions should be restricted to the developed countries because they are the big polluters," said Chrispus Kinene, the coordinator of Aberdares Green Earth, a non-profit group on reforestation through growing of bamboo.

He said developing countries should instead be involved in working on projects that mitigate against global warming like afforestation and development of alternative non-fossil fuels. "This means that the developed countries must invest more money in climate change mitigation projects in developing countries," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

United Nations climate change negotiations expected to come out with a deal on how to manage carbon emissions are currently taking place in Durban, South Africa.

After a week of negotiations by countries, world leaders are expected to meet at the same venue next week to see if they can sign a deal.

Developing countries like Kenya are expected to suffer the greatest from climate change despite being the least emitters of the industrial carbon dioxide, the principal cause of the climate change phenomena.

According to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), climate change will drastically reduce Kenya's tea production, by 42 percent, over the next 40 years with suitable lands being pushed further up the altitude, denting earnings from one of the country's top hard currency sources.

Kenya is now pursuing green energy sources like geothermal and wind generated electricity to ease dependence on hydro sources that are being affected by the changing weather patters, resulting in erratic rainfall.

Dr. Sven Grimm, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa said agreement is emerging that it is primarily the responsibility of developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions first and that developing countries should pursue policies that will not make them polluters of the future.

"How much this argues well for binding commitments in Durban, however, remains to be seen. Action, however, is needed also by emerging economies over the next years," he said.

Patrick Bond, the director of the University of KwaZulu- NatalCentre for Civil Society and senior professor of Development Studies, said developed countries have a responsibility to make clear cuts of their emissions and sign a binding commitment on their promise.

"But the way the negotiations are going here in Durban, this may not be the case. I do not foresee any deal here because South Africa, which is the chair of the talks, appeared to have sided with United States to frustrate possibility of a binding agreement on emissions," he said in an interview.

"Going forward, the civil society groups are working with some countries like Kenya that have strong voice so that the deal that comes out of here is not a deal of polluters. Its better we have no deal than a deal that makes its safer for emitters to continue doing so."

According to Michele Maynard of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, South Africa has a leading role to play as the chair of the climate change talks in Durban.

"The South African chair of the talks must not let South Africa down. African nations must stand shoulder-to-shoulder to deliver radical action to cut emissions, and substantial finance to allow Africa to adapt to the impacts already being felt," she said.

Players also called for a levelling of the playing field in the carbon finance market that generates money that is used in developing countries to support mitigation efforts.

"Our experience in trying to get into the carbon market, so that we can get money to expand the bamboo growing project, is that the rules and regulations are so stringent that the main beneficiaries become the brokers of the credits rather than the project owners.

Arrangements should be made to make the carbon trade rules and regulations fairer," said Kinene.

The group encourages farmers to grow bamboo as source of firewood instead of cutting down the tree that absorb the destructive carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

"The intention is to change the culture of using trees for firewood to bamboo sticks that grow faster and can be grown at the banks of the river where no or little food is grown.

Growing on the banks also helps conserve water and the biodiversity because they are not high water users."