Africa made its voice heard at the COP18 Doha 2012 climate change talks by calling on the developed countries to show more commitment to climate change issues and provide more resources to combat the effects of the phenomenon.
The Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, called for more transparency in resource commitment to climate change adaptation on the continent by the developed countries.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the commission on Monday, Tumusiime said Africa was worried that climate change resources to the continent were only trickling in, while it had been difficult to know how much had been made available.
She said the recent flooding, which affected about one third of Nigeria, as well as severe drought in the Horn of Africa, were clear evidences that the continent was seriously suffering the effects of climate change.
Similarly, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance Team at COP18 led a demonstration against unfair climate change deals.
PACJA on Thursday issued a set of 'red lines' that must not be crossed as negotiations enter their final hours at Doha.
It said, "We believe that Africa's evidence and principle-based positions would safeguard the survival of both the continent's people and the global community.
"Unless deep emission cuts are made by industrialised countries to keep the mean global temperature rise well below 1.5 degrees Celsius in the short term, Africa will burn and its development would be compromised."
The Head of the Nigerian Delegation to COP18 and Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia, called for concerted efforts to ensure that the world did not return to a point of no return in the quest to cut down significantly on carbon emission.
The minister said the aspiration of the global community to achieve a substantial outcome failed to yield the expected result in Copenhagen in 2009, the same for Cancun in Mexico, and if not for the doggedness of the developing countries, the Kyoto Protocol was almost killed and buried in Durban, South Africa last year.
South Africa's Water and Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, on Thursday told delegates that it was crucial to secure a global solution to a climate change crisis threatening all countries.
"We must secure the multilateral rules-based climate change system to guide urgent and adequate implementation of climate action starting from January 1, 2013 up to 2020; and we must define the process for negotiating the further development of this system for the period beyond 2020," Molewa said.
It is widely expected that COP18 will confirm the design of a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, and work towards a new international legally binding agreement on carbon emissions by 2015.
Parties have yet to agree on some key issues around finance and mitigation as at the time of sending this report.
African Civil Society organisations also on Thursday urged the continents' negotiators not to accept a deal that did not address the underlying causes of climate change.
They said through PACJA, "We warn against manipulative tactics from rich countries to delay badly needed commitments to deep emission cuts and climate financing.
"We also insist that climate finance is not aid but debt owed by developed countries to developing countries for causing climate change. Developed countries have historical responsibilities under the Convention to this effect. The climate finance must focus on adaptation needs of developing countries and losses and damages suffered by the vulnerable countries."
