Addis Abeba — Prime Minister Meles Zenawi called on Thursday for a shared responsibility to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change, regardless of who is to blame.

The premier made the comments while opening a one day national conference on climate change held at the UNCC here.

Meles stressed both the culprit who spoils the environment, and those, usually the poor who shoulder the burden have the obligation to contribute towards.

"Both who have contributed nothing to global warming and those who have created it , have a common responsibility to mitigate its impact and enhance humanity's capacity to adapt to it," Meles said.

He underlined that the injustice of the whole issue of global warming and climate change lies in the fact that those who have contributed nothing to its genesis will suffer the most from its consequences because they have the least capacity to adapt these changes.

According to the premier, poor nations have the least capacity to adapt because they are poor and do not have the resources to adapt to the changes.

"At the same time it would only be fair to suggest that those who have created global warming, and those who have the resources to mitigate its impact and adapt to it have the responsibility to do more including by helping the poorer countries to adapt," he said.

Meles noted common responsibility can only be fair and just if it is differentiated.

"It appears that while the details are still disputed, the principle of common but differentiated responsibility is accepted by all," Meles said.

"However unjust it might be we have to adapt or die. We can only succeed to adapt climate to change if we fight poverty effectively and generate the resources needed for the purpose.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebregziabher, Director General of Environment Protection Authority said "It should also be realized that the increase in temperature will make most crops less suited for the altitude where they now grow.

However, this threat is not as frightening as it might at first sound. The large crop genetic diversity that already exists in Ethiopia will make adapting agricultural systems to the locally changing conditions relatively easy. Unfortunately, the intensification of agricultural production that we must continue with can enhance crop genetic erosion. We have thus to learn to harmonize these two usually antagonistic dictates of economic development." Can we, in Ethiopia, where green house gas emission is insignificant, take measures to mitigate climate change? he asked the audience.

"We are already taking those mitigation measures that we could have taken, though our aim has rightly been to focus on adaptation measures" he said referring to the national campaigns that saw the planting of billions of tree seedlings in the country.

"More importantly, we are increasingly restricting, and even stopping, free range domestic animal grazing. We have thus been allowing Mother Earth to put on her lovely green robe of improved vegetation cover. This will continue to sequester some carbon," he added.

According to Oxfam America, climatic shocks render an already vulnerable population, susceptible to livelihood crises.

Despite sustained economic growth and increased domestic cereals production there has yet to be realized any substantial decrease proportional to the size of the needy populations.

Documents indicate that Ethiopia has been spared the worst of climatic shocks since the major crisis of 2003 but is likely to face extreme weather events in future