India and China are doing their fair share

November 30, 2011: India and China cannot  be blamed for lack of progress in the global climate change negotiation, a senior negotiator from the Africa Group said today. Speaking to Down to Earth, at the sidelines of the COP17 in Durban, Seyni Alfa Nafo, a negotiator from Mali and the spokesperson of the Africa Group said: “India and China are doing their fair share,” and that developing countries combined efforts to reduce green house gas emissions was more than that of the developed countries.

“We all agree behind closed door meetings that the developing countries hare doing more than the developed countries,” Nafo said. He adds that China has spent about $300 billion to promote renewable energy, and that is more than what the developed countries have promised as green climate finance.

Africa also reiterated its commitment to the second period of Kyoto Protocol saying that it does not agree to the European Union’s new proposal of an eight year term for second period. “We will have to serve a second five year commitment period,” he said. Adding that Canada and Japan which have had key partnerships Africa have been a big disappointment for staying away for the second commitment period.

Nafo also said that the fund created for the long term finance was too little and the Africa group will ask the developed countries to increase the fund to $500 to $600 billion or 1.5 per cent of the Gross National Product of these developed countries. The $100 billion is only a symbolic political number he said.