Libya seeks key role in climate talks

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s insatiable fervour for a united Africa seems to be permeating the continent’s political psyche. Come December and Africa plans a united front on climate change.

That some moneyed folks in rich nations might find a Quisling remains possible. After all, big money blocks proposals against catalysts of climate change. Hired enemies of any proposal, therefore, become inevitable.

The Climate Unity’s forum is a United Nations-sponsored conference on global climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark. The gathering is necessary because some Kyoto Protocol’s provisions expire in 2012. Moreover, some nations have either not effected the provisions or have ignored them.

Today, African leaders are meeting in Tripoli, Libya, to fine tune their position. Mr Gaddafi, who holds the rotational leadership of the African Union, presides. Hopefully, he doesn’t transform the gathering into a premature “Department of African Government on Climate Change.”

Last Monday, representatives of 10 African nations met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They hinted what the Tripoli gathering might endorse as Africa’s demands in Copenhagen. Topping the list is up to $67 billion annually from rich nations to help the least well off cope with the impacts of the climate change, especially rising temperatures.

The Addis Ababa meeting is an example of rare efforts by African leaders to prepare for a world conference on global issues. Mr Jean Ping, who chairs AU’s commission, enumerated the efforts so far.

African leaders have settled on a single delegation. Of course, the usual “what’s in it for me” is rearing its ugly head with Ethiopia nominating Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as the delegation’s leader. He is poor choice, being a likely magnate for protestors.

Anyway, the other steps include establishing a Conference of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, and recognising the expected global carbon trading system offers an avenue to accrue benefits, some would call compensation.

Mr Ping put it this way. Scientific projections indicate Africa will be hardest hit by climate change. Yet the continent is least responsible for producing, for example, gases scientists say most contribute to the change.

Africa, Mr Ping concluded, “…suffers most from the problem that is has not created.” Moreover, in May, a study commissioned by the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum had startling revelations. Africa hosts 15 of world’s 20 nations most vulnerable to impacts of the climate change.

Mr Ping and the Forum report foresee reduced productivity, prevalence of diseases, and poverty and armed conflicts.

The beginnings exist. Documentations of the cost to rich nations of dealing with, for example, the hungry due to drought exist.

It is rather naïve to solely blame human activities, including inundating the Earth with poisonous gases. Creationists might loathe this, but humans weren’t spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere prior to the Ice Age.

However, other that a meteorite striking the Earth, natural phenomena to fast effect climate change as is happening advances at nano speed. Consequently, arguments rich nations don’t accelerate climate change and aren’t accountable don’t wash. 

It is not clear whether the $67 billion, if at all it materializes, would be earmarked to help Africa. Were rich nations to pledge the amount, Africans might as well yawn. It’s an old story.

Pushing for compensation or reparation for what Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni calls rich nations “aggression” seems counter-productive. Africa’s case is that rich nations have accrued immense benefits from the continent. They will continue doing so were they to help the continent leapfrog ravages of climate change. It’s a win-win situation. Even Gaddafi would smile.