PACJA calls for 2nd Kyoto commitment period

The Pan -African Climate Change Alliance (PACJA) has called on UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18) participants in Doha to adopt a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol; which is concerned with cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol is legally binding to Parties; hence the need for a new clear commitment with its clauses as it represents an important part of the international mission dealing with climate change. PACJA representatives at the press conference held here on Thursday , indicated that the message directed to the Conference focuses on the importance of working on implementing the agreement providing funding to African nations, which are said to have suffered the most from climate change. The private sector is not part of the talks, but Parties of the Kyoto Protocol need to pay a compensation for damages until the rate of warming stabilizes below 1.5 percent degrees Celsius, it added. On what the PACJA expects from the Doha Conference, it specified clear commitments and abiding by what had been agreed upon in 2009 at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference on the Green Fund. During the press conference, PACJA Chair of the Steering Comittee Augustine Njamnishi called on participants at the Doha Conference to work towards long-term partnerships for cutting emissions. The PACJA called on all Parties at COP 18 to take strong measures in face of climate change. They also called for the provision of modern technology for developing countries. PACJA members expressed satisfaction with discussions regarding women at the Doha Climate Change Conference, adding that the African woman suffers the most from climate change because she plants, harvests and monitors productivity. Negotiations are about give and take, Njamnishi said. Discussions at Doha pose a greater challenge asserting our presence.