South Africa wants legally binding emission cuts targets
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South Africa expects legally binding carbon emission reduction targets to emerge from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, the country's Environmental and Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Tuesday.
"It is clear to us that in Copenhagen, Annex I Parties to the Kyoto Protocol must commit to legally binding emission reduction targets for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, of at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020," the South African Press Association cite her as saying in an address at a consultation session in Pretoria.
"Further, non-Kyoto Annex I Parties, such as the United States, must commit to legally binding targets comparable with those of Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol," the official said.
There had to be a global agreement to bolster the access to scaled-up finance and technology, to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to the impacts of climate change, particularly in Africa.
"Finally, developed countries must comply with their obligations under the Convention to provide finance, technology and capacity building support to enable developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to take mitigation actions."
She said the message from the perspective of developing countries was clear, that it took its responsibilities seriously.
"We are willing to do more, but developed countries must show the necessary leadership, take ambitious mitigation targets for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and comply with their Convention obligations on adaptation, finance and technology, " she said.
She cautioned that the current dynamics indicated that it was unlikely "that the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol, will be able to adopt outcomes in Copenhagen. That will result in the strengthening of the international climate change regime."
The reasons for this were few developed countries showed the political will to show leadership by taking on legally binding mitigation commitments.
Also, the United States insisted that its commitment would be taken in domestic law only and would not be subject to international compliance and there were "few political signals" from developed countries on the finance required, the report said.
She said South Africa would continue to deliberate in "good spirits" and do "everything in its power to broker a deal which results in a strengthened and durable international climate change regime".
South Africa would not accept a weak deal, she added, and it would not be pressured into accepting weak outcomes in the December conference.
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