Durban
conference opens with a call to save the planet
DURBAN,
South Africa, Nov 28.—The 17th UN Conference on
Climate Change opened here today with a call to
confront global warming as a question of life or
death, PL reports.
In his address, South African
President Jacob Zuma urged UN agencies, states and
parties to the UN Convention on the issue to find a
solution in Durban and work for a balanced, just and
credible result.
The South African leader emphasized
that solutions to the problem of climate change
cannot be disassociated from the battle to eradicate
poverty and, in this context, recalled Africa’s
vulnerability to the effects of global warming, the
country being part of a continent where agricultural
production in many countries will decline by 50%
from now through 2050.
Zumo stated that during the
conference, which continues through December 9, the
multilateral spirit must prevail on the basis of the
Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol,
which expires in 2012. In relation to that he
emphasized the need to reach agreement on a second
period of Kyoto commitments and achieve a pact on
the nature of a future approach to climate change.
