Developed countries yet to pay climate change compensation
Chamikara Weerasinghe
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Champika Ranawaka said,
developed countries are yet to put money on the table to finance climate
change compensations to countries like Sri Lanka. Steps will be taken to
push a deal in this regard at the forthcoming Copenhagen Climate Change
Conference.
Minister Ranawaka said, the developed countries owe one percent of
their gross national income to developing countries like Sri Lanka to
make good the damage they have caused to the environment by paving the
way to global warming by exorbitant fossil fuel burning.
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Climate compensation plan |
African
leaders to ask industrialised nations to pay developing
countries $67 billion (R525bn) a year as part of a common
negotiating position for December's climate talks in Copenhagen.
Industrialised countries from the US to Europe and Asia should
lower their carbon output to 40 percent less than 1990 levels by
2020.
They should also pay 0.5 percent of their gross domestic product
to compensate poor countries for the effects of climate change
and transfer green technologies to help the developing world
lower its carbon output, according to a draft resolution of the
African Union (AU). |
"About one hundred countries including Bolivia have agreed to push
for compensation at the Copenhagen Climate Change Negotiations in
December," he said.
Governmental representatives from 170 countries are expected to be in
Copenhagen for the conference accompanied by other governmental
representatives, NGOs, journalists and others. A total of 8,000 people
are expected to be in Copenhagen for the climate meeting.
Minister Ranawaka was speaking at the 60th Anniversary of the
Department of Wildlife Conservation, which was held at the BMICH. Prime
Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka was the Chief Guest. Tourism Minister
Nandana Gunatilleke and Deputy Posts and Telecommunications Minister
M.S. Sellasamy were also present.
Ranawaka said, over seven million people are suffering from drinking
water problems and wild animals too had to suffer the consequences of
human activities.
He said, it is more likely that the situation will worsen and all
climate change is the result of the greediness of the rich and
industrialized developed countries incessantly burning fossil fuels for
their comforts.
"These countries are responsible for emitting carbon to the
atmosphere and increasing the planet's temperature," he added.
The current international agreement on climate change , the Kyoto
Protocol, will expire in 2012. The Road to Copenhagen is the UK
Government's case for an ambitious agreement at Copenhagen and focuses
on urgent action to limit global temperature increases to no more than
two degrees Celsius, beyond which the risks of dangerous climate change
become much greater.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka said that "Since developed
countries have moved forward by virtue of using resources and wealth of
the developing countries, they have a moral obligation to look back at
the developing world."
He said, "it has been rightfully pointed out by Environment and
Natural Resources Minister Ranawaka that the rich countries should form
a fund to finance and compensate other countries that are suffering the
negative impacts of their actions."
Minister Champika Ranawaka yesterday said, they have arranged to
spend Rs. 3,000 million on wildlife and forest conservation programs
next year.
He said, over seven million people suffering from the problem of
scarcity of drinking water are hoping to secure a global deal at UN
talks in Copenhagen in December.
Prime Minister Wickramanayaka said, voluntary environmental
organisations in the country should support their Motherland in getting
this compensation. |
