Climate change... we need to all wake up

Very exciting times. The Kyoto protocol expiries in 2012 and the over 180 countries were gathered in Bali in the last week to trash out some principles for “Kyoto 2”, due to come into force in 2012. The process and the framework to be agreed by 2009.The nations of the world are finally realising that climate change is real, we must redress the way we use our planet, we need to preserve it for future generation, if not there will be nothing left!

A lot of rumbling is going on; the developed countries are refusing to take the lead on this, specifically the US. The new treaty will require all signatories to set specific targets, in terms of greenhouse gas emission, which causes climate change. We need a new international climate change deal and the Bali meeting aims to set this process and negotiations in place.

The US is not very happy about it, there are asking that developing countries to take some stick for this, e.g. China, but how can you have the same target for a developed nation like the US and UK and then impede the growth of China, Africa or the Asia countries? The general gist of the whole thing is that the Kyoto treaty previously signed requires all developed nations to set target to reduce greenhouse emission targets and report on it, but the developing countries are not required to do either, as they need to develop., however, they are required to participate in initiatives to curtail green gas emission.

At lot of pressure on the developed counties to reduce greenhouse emission, of course these comes with a lot of responsibility, less petrol, less industrialisation, less deforestation, less development, more and expensive research into alternative fuels etc.


I am watching the drama unfold... What is Nigeria and Africa’s take on this? Of course, I am thinking about carbon trading scheme, carbon off-setting. Latin America, Asia and China are in the thick of it all.