Energy Saving News
Brazil Creates United Fund For Poor Nations' Adaption To Climate Change
Brazil is going to suggest the creation of a united fund with China, South Africa and India, with the aim of helping poor countries adapt to global warming, and more broadly, in an attempt to revive stalled global climate talks.
The creation of a fund to help poor nations sustain themselves in the face of climate change and its consequences, will lead to those countries being able to invest in new technology and systems, such as energy saving measures.
As Council Member of the Energy Saving Association (ESA), Thomas Brandner believes in the beneficial impact of saving energy as a solution to keep climate change under control: "Saving energy ensures a drastic reduction in carbon emissions, as well as a guarantee to save money, especially now as energy prices continue to soar all over the world."
Carlos Minc, Brazil's Environment Minister, announced yesterday that he would put his proposal forward during a special climate summit held in New Delhi this weekend, and involving the 4 key emerging market nations.
Minc comments: "Its purpose will be to help very poor countries adapt to climate change." Mr. Minc also added that China has already expressed interest in the project.
At the closure of the Copenhagen conference on climate change last month, a somewhat disappointing outcome was reached: Brazil, South Africa, India and China (a group dubbed BASIC) came to a non-legally binding accord, on broad principles, with the USA.
The main concern for several poor countries is that richer nations are not offering sufficiently high emissions reductions targets, and that not enough technology and financing would be attributed to them to adapt to climate change.
The meeting in New Dehli would aim to deliver more concrete solutions for poorer countries, while highlighting the needs of richer nations to achieve better results, particularly the USA.
"The resources we'll put into it will call attention to how they are escaping their responsibilities," Minc said evasively.
Rich countries had pledged $30 billion in climate change funding for the 2010-12 period and set a goal of $100 billion by 2020, which represents a small percentage of the efforts that developing countries had hoped for.
Minc affirms that failure by the U.S. Senate to pass a climate control bill would further hamper chances for a post-Copenhagen deal this year and tarnish President Barack Obama's leadership on the issue.
The future of the bill looked uncertain after the Democrats lost a key Senate seat in Massachusetts to the Republicans this week.
According to Mr. Minc, since Copenhagen failed to provide a road map, groups such as the European Union and the BASIC bloc need to have unified positions to accelerate talks between one another.
Brazil, South Africa, India and China would try to standardize their emission targets using the same measurements, Minc said. Brazil aims to cut its emissions by as much as 39% by 2020, while China pledged to cut CO2 produced for each unit of economic growth by 40-45% by 2020.
Friday 22nd January 2010
