Cut Greenhouse Gas Emission, Yar'Adua Tells Rich Countries - Daily Trust

Rich countries must cut their greenhouse gas emission responsible for adverse climate change in Africa if they want to work with the continent on development, President Umaru Yar'Adua has said.

President Yar'Adua declared this at the Africa regional launch of the Human Development Report (HDR) 2007/2008 titled "Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world" by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abuja.

President Yar'adua said that negative climate change in Africa has reduced chances for African countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015.

He stated, "While the countries contributing substantially to global emission of greenhouse gasses are least affected by the negative impact of the climatic shocks, ironically, countries most vulnerable to climate change minimally contribute to climate change and are least able to protect themselves from its effects - a clear indication that developing countries are paying high price for the actions of advanced nations".

He said that the goals of poverty reduction and employment generation will be hampered if the consequences of climate change are not addressed, revealing that the world could lose 5 percent in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) owing to reduction in African crop yield.

"We must face up to this challenge with the urgency it deserves if africa's progress towards the realisation of the MDGs by 2015 is not to be derailed. While the HDR is advocating from the industrialised countries a reduction in greenhouse emission by 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, I posit that these nations should strive to reach the 30 percent mark before 2015, if they really want to partner with us in driving the achievement of our development goals," he said.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200711280213.html