An 8-member Botswana delegation leaves this weekend for Doha, Qatar, for the 18th world climate change conference. The delegation is headed by Thabang Botshoma, Director in the Department of Meteorological Services.
The annual Conference, known as the Conference of Parties starts on the 26th November, 2012 ending on 7th December 2012. The first group left earlier during the month for the preparatory meetings held from the 19th to the 24th November.
In an interview, Thursday, a member of the delegation, David Lesolle, told Sunday Standard that the conferences build on the previous ones, and therefore nothing much new should be expected on the COP18.
“We review the progress on what was agreed on the previous conference and where there was need to continue with the previous decision we do that,” he said.
However, recalling the Durban conference, Lesolle said there were two things that they were worried about. Firstly, they had not agreed on how much developed countries as major contributors in Green House Gases emissions should reduce these emissions after 2012. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 agreed that countries should reduce emissions by an average 5 percent based on the 1990 standards and 3 percent by 2012, but mentioned nothing beyond that period.
Secondly, during the COP 13, they had agreed that there was need to get money for the developing countries. An amount in the region of US$100bn to US$400bn was needed to help developing countries in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
So, they went to Durban to agree on the amount and the management of the fund called the green climate fund.
Mitigation refers to stabilisation of Green House Gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climatic system; while adaptation means adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects.
Some of the issues the COP17 of Durban agreed to were that all world countries must reduce their GHG emissions and must come up with legally binding instruments to deal with the issue of non compliance. The legally binding agreement would be applied effective year 2020. This would be the replacement of the Kyoto Protocol.
Lack of legal agreement to deal with none compliance has proved a loop hole that has seen a super power ÔÇô United States of America- that emits more GHG than any other nation not complying with the Kyoto protocol. Economic politics came into play and emissions increased.
The eloquent Lesolle questioned of what the importance of the legally binding agreement was to Botswana as a country.
He said, “Do we want voluntary commitment to the agreement? How do we come to terms with it? If we are to agree with it we have to redesign our transport sector. There is a lot of fuel wasted at traffic jams. Vehicles idle during these jams and this causes a lot of emissions. A lot needs to be done. Both easy and difficult. Some of the activities needed are cheap; some will come with huge costs. These include reconstructing roads and coming up with regulations. There might be need to retrofit the car engines – changing some car engine parts – or introducing strict regulations like compulsory regular emission tests.”
And so it is important for the Botswana delegation, as it goes to Doha, to have thorough inward look of the country. Questions should be raised and answered as to whether Botswana is ready to implement the climate change agreement or treaty.
“We cannot afford to use money for building clinics to address the climate change we did not cause. This should be at the back of our minds as we go to Doha,” he said.
He added that all Batswana should consider finding ways of coping with climate change. They should look into burdens brought about by the phenomenon through the changes it drives. He cited increase in temperatures; change in rainfall patterns all of which impact on water, crops and livestock production, leading to drought. This negatively impacts on food security, economic growth, improved livelihoods and human security.
“If a farmer fails for two years, three and four, to produce food at a rural area, his or her next decision will be to migrate to urban centres, hoping to secure some meals,” explained Lesolle, adding that this in turn burdens the government as it will be forced to come up with money for human security. This therefore will call for Batswana to take drought not as catastrophic or disastrous, but as part of the country’s climate. That way, they would be able to adapt to its frequency in the country.
A University of Botswana Lecturer, Lesolle said his institution, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism, Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) Botswana under the Finance and Development Ministry, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other stakeholders are going around the country conducting public awareness campaigns aiding Batswana’s readiness in dealing with Climate change challenges.
He revealed that there is presidential directive on climate change and there was need to implement regulations for its execution.
“All our planning as a country should be considerate of drought as part of our climate, not disaster. We should live like drought people. This means we should go back and come up with crops suitable for such climate and other methods of food security. If we all have food at home then the impact of drought would not be felt,” said Lesolle.
He further said that there was need to find the possible impact climate change have in livestock. He has learnt that there is decline in milk production and increased incidences of miscarriages and still births. Another urgent need is the use of water saving technologies as Botswana is battling with water scarcity.
“We have to negotiate the interests of Batswana there at Doha and hope we find other African countries there with common interests. We would then be able to come up with meaningful solutions to our common challenges and problems.”
On civic societies’ role in the climate change phenomenon, Lesolle said they have a pivotal role to play but are incapacitated by lack of funding. They need capacity enhancement in order that they write proposals to get funding which they will in turn use for helping communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Creativity and innovation are imperative. Projects that are not costly but can aid community dwellers can thus be implemented.
“It is important that funds for the proposed Green Climate Fund be availed to civic society for utilization in rural communities. Such fund would not be given to government as the government’s hands are filled with attending to employee queries; among them demand for wage hikes and strikes.
It is the civic society and private sector who should channel the funds to necessary projects. If funds were to be availed today, which NGO or CBO would write a convincing proposal to utilize it? I doubt if there can be any,” he said.
He emphasized the fact that civic society should not take climate change as an environmental issue, but should broaden its spectrum to development, social, economic and health.
All NGOs, including faith based, gender, youth and health and the private sector should partake in addressing climate change for it affects all.
