African countries asked to take climate change seriously

Rose Athumani in the Tanzania Daily News: The second annual conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa opened here on Friday with a call for African countries to push hard for scaling up national and international efforts in relation to adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology transfer and development.

Addressing delegates, the Prime Minister Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Mr Hailemariam Dessalegn said finance needed for climate change action in Africa must be real and significant. "The performance by developed countries in activating short-term financial commitments at the Copenhagen Climate Conference can only be described as extremely disappointing. This can only be defined that their action has failed the new additional test," he said.

Mr Dessalegn said the lack of clear commitment from the developed nations, is a risk to the Green Climate Fund, noting that it will be no more than an empty shell. The Green Climate Fund was established to make significant and ambitious contribution to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the International Community to combat climate change."The urgent need for funds for climate action cannot be overstated. African countries have a moral and a legal claim to it," he emphasised.

He said African countries must continue to articulate their concerns and define their position with added vigour and ensure they are well understood and accepted by everyone."Africa should continue to play the additional and rather undesirable role of getting the major economies in the world to talk to one another," he explained adding that this can help break the current log-jam....