Linda Ensor
3 December 2008
Cape Town — The financial crisis should not be allowed to interfere with the drive to deal with climate change, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said yesterday.
He called on the US to come forward with ambitious commitments next year to reduce emissions. This would be in line with the promises made by president-elect Barack Obama to restore America's leadership in international global warming negotiations.
Japan, Russia, Australia and Canada should also come forward with "credible and ambitious" mid-term targets within the 25%-40% range for 2020.
Van Schalkwyk said they had avoided making concrete commitments to carbon emission reductions for too long.
He was reflecting on the negotiations under way in Poznan, Poland, which are expected to consolidate the political momentum towards reaching an agreement on a climate change regime in Copenhagen at the end of next year.
He said the negotiations were aimed at achieving agreement on a legally binding, equitable, more effective and inclusive climate regime.
"A shared vision should balance climate and development and adaptation and mitigation -- a recognition that solving the climate problem and making the transition to a low carbon economy will only be possible if any solution is undertaken with development priorities at its heart," Van Schalkwyk said.
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