PRESS CONFERENCE BY AFRICAN MINISTERS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The position of the United States on the Kyoto Protocol meant that climate change would continue unabated in the foreseeable future, and Africa -- particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change -- would remain at risk, Muhammad Kabir Sai'd, Federal Minister of the Environment of Nigeria and President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

Joining Mr. Sai'd were Mohammed Valli Moosa, Minister for Environment and Tourism of South Africa; Francisco Mabjaia, Vice-Minister for Coordination of Environmental Affairs of Mozambique; D.K. Fobih, Minister of Environment of Ghana; and Rajesh A. Bhagwan, Minister of Environment of Mauritius.

The recent announcement, said Mr. Sai'd, by President George Bush was a cause for concern for those in the developing world, particularly in Africa, for several reasons.  Throughout the negotiating process for the Kyoto Protocol, the United States had provided considerable insight into problems, especially the economic ramification of greenhouse gas emissions reduction.  Indeed, it was precisely because of those concerns and considerations that the Kyoto Protocol included flexibility mechanisms, which would provide a cost-effective means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, he continued, as an industrialized country and a leader in technology development, the United States would be expected to play an important role in the development and transfer of environment-friendly technology to address climate change, consistent with the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

Furthermore, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its third assessment report, projected that globally averaged surface air temperature was likely to rise between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees celsius by the year 2100, he said.  Regional changes in climate, especially increases in temperature, had already affected a diverse set of physical and biological systems.  The Panel also pointed out that the most vulnerable countries were those in the developing world. 

In particular, he continued, that Panel had noted that agricultural productivity in Africa, for example, would be adversely affected by climate change.  Also, sea level rise was likely to affect coastal areas, and droughts and floods could become more frequent and severe.  For those reasons, it was necessary to continue the debate on options for addressing climate change.  The cost of delaying responses to climate change would be greater in the future.  Hence, the need to act now.

In that respect, he added, the resumed discussions of the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the Climate Change Convention on the operationalization of the Kyoto Protocol were important for Africa so important that the seventh session would be held in Marakesh, Morocco, at the end of the year.  Africa's per capita greenhouse gas emissions, he noted, were so low that even if Africa did

address the need to use renewable energy in the future, it would not have a significant impact on climate change unless Annex I countries took the lead.

He hoped that the United States would join others at the resumed session of the COP6 and bring to the negotiating table, as it had done in the past, issues that concern them most for further negotiation.  The withdrawal of the United States condemned those in the developing world -- those least capable of adapting -- to the dire consequences of climate change.

Asked for his analysis of what would happen if the United States did indeed reject the Kyoto Protocol, Mr. Sai'd replied that he expected the United States to come to the negotiating table to further discuss their position.  He did not want to draw conclusions about something that had not yet happened.

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