Thousands Protest At Cop17
MEDIA ADVISORY - 3 December 2011
ECOTERRA International
Society for Threatened Peoples International
EARTHPEOPLES
Climate Change :
Thousands
Protest At Cop17 -
Demanding Action To Save The Planet
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, 3 December 2011 – The people demand that governments have to radically change their behavior at the UNFCCC negotiations, if the world is to have a chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change.
Today
is the GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION, thousands of ordinary people
from across Africa and the World are coming together to make
sure their voices are heard. Some of those most affected by
the impacts of changing climate will be taking part in the
march including indigenous peoples, peasant farmers from
across the continent and hundreds of women from South
African rural communities.
C17 Global Day of Action
committee convenor Desmond D’sa: “World leaders are
discussing the fate of our planet but they are far from
reaching a solution to climate change. If they fail to make
progress we will see drought and hunger blight our country
and continent even further.”
The first period of
emission cuts agreed under the Kyoto Protocol expires at the
end of 2012. A new round of emission cuts must be agreed in
Durban to avoid gaps between the first and second
periods.
But developed nations are trying to shift their
responsibilities for drastic emissions cuts onto developing
countries that have done the least to cause the problem ,
while developing countries, joined by the European Union,
try to kill the Kyoto Protocol, and call for a “new
mandate” for the UN climate negotiation, trying to escape
their responsibilities for climate action.
It would be disastrous if the internationally binding emission reduction commitments would lapse or end altogether in Durban.
The US is leading the rich countries demand for a replacement of the Kyoto Protocol with a totally inadequate voluntary pledge where countries would decide their own emissions cuts on a national basis.
It seems that only the Africa Group of countries are united in their demand to hold industrialised countries accountable to their previous commitments, while rich industrialized countries are busy trying to carve out new business opportunities for multinational corporations and their financial elites.
ENDS