US Urges Africa To Uphold Copenhagen Climate Accord

US Urges Africa To Uphold Copenhagen Climate Accord

The US has urged Africa to stick to the confines of the broad global warming agreement reached at the climate summit in Denmark last year while currently negotiating on climate change.

In a video address to the Seventh African Development Forum (ADF-VII), on Thursday, the US special envoy for climate change, Todd Stern, said this would help move the negotiations forward.

He said while developed countries should honour commitments to providing financing to developing nations for climate change adaptation and mitigation, the latter should also keep their promises to ensure transparency in handling such aid.

Pledged climate aid

At the summit, developed countries pledged 30 billion dollars in climate aid to developing nations from 2010 to 2012 and later 100 billion dollars annually from 2020, but insisted on strict transparency in the distribution and administration of the funds.

“No one has more stake in this than the people of Africa. To fulfill the substantial promise of the Copenhagen Accord, we will need to work together to ensure that the current climate change negotiations fairly reflect what our leaders agreed to last year in Copenhagen,'' Stern said.

Stern said he was speaking on behalf of President Barack Obama, and expressed strong support for the ADF VII and its focus on climate change..

He said the forum's focus on both global warming and development'' brings together two profound challenges that are inextricably linked.

“As we work to craft a global response to these challenges, we must always remember that a climate agreement cannot simply be about limiting carbon emissions but also compliment and promote sustainable low carbon economic development," he said.

According to him, efforts to build sustainable clean energy economies could drive investments and job creation around the world while bringing energy services to hundreds of millions of people.

Stern said the US looked forward to working with Africa in meeting climate challenges and promised continued active engagement.

PANA/NAN/Williams/Yinka