CLIMATE NEWS NETWORK AFRICA

By Charles Ogallo in Durban, South Africa. United Nations Climate Change Conference enters its final week in Durban, South Africa, with delegates rushing to reach agreement, on whether to save or burry forever the most loved, hated and debated Kyoto Protocol, an internationally binding agreement on climate change. The Seventeenth Conference of Parties popularly known as COP17 has been organized by United Nation Framework convention on Climate Change-UNFCCCand hosted by South Africa. The conference may have come at a better time especially for Africa, where many countries are faced with severe effects of climate Change and global warming. And when top world scientists have just predicted scary and devastating climate events such as heavy storms, droughts and floods in the near future due to climate change. The scientific prediction may have also been fulfilled within a shorter period to many COP17 negotiators whose arrivals in Durban were met with some harsh realities of clima...

By Charles Ogallo in Durban, South Africa. The youth constituency at the UN climate negotiations In Durban,South Africa is putting on an action to engage and encourage delegates to “aim for a Robin Hood Tax at COP17.” Costumed Robin Hoods are displaying a giant bull’s eye as delegates pass by as they offer a bow and arrow to shoot towards the target, just like Robin Hood. Participant Barry McCarron from the UK stated: “I’m taking part in the action after listening to stories from African young people about how climate finance could make so much difference to them at grassroots level.” The action is part of the ongoing Robin Hood Campaign from the group calling itself YOUNGO, and run in tangent with the “Robin Hood Champion Awards.” This award praises commitment to equity and foresightedness to fill the Green Climate Fund. It is presented in person to state delegates who commend or encourage a Financial Transaction Tax at COP17. Read more at: http://youthclimate.org/pr...

By Charles Ogallo in Durban, South Africa United Nations Climate change Conference enters its second week in Durban, South Africa with a long list of activities awaiting the over 10 thousand delegates attending the seventeenth Conference of Parties commonly known as COP17/CMP 7 Representatives of heads of states from COP member countries have started arriving in the city ready to join the Durban talks currently facing deadlocks over proposals to extend the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement binding countries to commit themselves to greenhouse gas emissions targets set out by the United Nation framework convention on Climate Change UNFCCC in the process of limiting climate Change and global warming. This comes as World Bank releases its score card on Clean Development Mechanism –CDM, one of the robust mechanisms created under the Kyoto Protocol to limit gases emissions as well as encourage sustainable development and transfer of technologies between developed Nations a...