Africa Climate Change Negotiator Sees Favorable Deal in Durban

Africa delegation is optimistic that a favorable deal will be achieved to spare Africa in COP 17.

Speaking at a press briefing on the 10th day of the conference of parties Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) chairperson said, "There is room of success" and the Kyoto Protocol must not die in Africa.

"We believe there is room of success on (negotiation). We are willing to show leadership because its negotiations… it's about give and take. We want the second commitment of Kyoto Protocol," Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu told journalists. "We don't want Durban to be the graveyard of the Kyoto Protocol," he said.

A thorn in the flesh of negotiations is the issue of a second commitment period for developed nations to further reduce their greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

The end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol on Dec. 31, 2012 is approaching quickly with none of the global binding agreements that are considered as necessary to support a global response to human induced climate change in place.

Mpanu-Mpanu said legal force was the only way to make polluters take the necessary action and states who failed to deliver should in effect be "named and shamed as the civic societies are calling for."

"We always find ourselves in a situation at the beginning of the second week, which it feels on the verge of collapse. I don't think so," he said.

Mpanu-Mpanu said without binding targets, nations would just select which climate action they wished to take, rather than which was necessary.

"The multilateral process is of prime importance. It's the only process that will cater for all our needs. Otherwise, this will be an era of cherry-picking," he said.

Developing countries are calling for the second commitment arguing that developed countries should carry the burden of cutting emissions.

"One billion Africans are suffering from the climate change phenomenon, to which they did not contribute," Mpanu-Mpanu told journalists.

"Unfortunately, some will disrespect the agreements they have made, they are like those who go to the international cattle market and issue promissory notes that they never pay," Mpanu- Mpanu said.

"We should give them a bad credit rating," he told journalists.