UN climate summit opens

NAIROBI – An international summit to tackle global warming and discuss the future after the UN Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gas emissions expires in 2012 opened in the Kenyan capital yesterday.

Kenyan Vice President Moody Awori opened the conference, the first in sub-Saharan Africa which is particulary vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Some 6 000 delegates are expected to review grim scientific findings during the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which runs until November 17.”Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats that humanity has ever faced,” Awori told the opening session.”There is a great task ahead of us,” he added.Awori warned that rising temperatures and the world’s faltering efforts to cut emmissions of greenhouse gases have a massive impact on sub-Saharan Africa, one of the earth’s poorest regions.”The sub-Saharan economies are the most affected.Over 70 per cent of our population live in rural areas.Climate change will affect their economies,” he added.At the summit, countries whose leaders signed the Kyoto Protocol but whose parliaments failed to ratify it – notably Australia and the United States – will come under the spotlight.Nampa-AFPSome 6 000 delegates are expected to review grim scientific findings during the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which runs until November 17.”Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats that humanity has ever faced,” Awori told the opening session.”There is a great task ahead of us,” he added.Awori warned that rising temperatures and the world’s faltering efforts to cut emmissions of greenhouse gases have a massive impact on sub-Saharan Africa, one of the earth’s poorest regions.”The sub-Saharan economies are the most affected.Over 70 per cent of our population live in rural areas.Climate change will affect their economies,” he added.At the summit, countries whose leaders signed the Kyoto Protocol but whose parliaments failed to ratify it – notably Australia and the United States – will come under the spotlight.Nampa-AFP