COP 15 raised a lot of expectations and also the stakes were high. But alas these expectations were largely dashed. Amid these expectations was that of a successor to the Kyoto, only for a political accord to be hastily put together by the largest gathering of world leaders - but without content, depth, commitment or any binding terms to it.
The expectations of COP 16 are relatively low as they were implausibly high at COP 15. Cancun is instead focusing more on the road map and ironing out the creases that stand in the way of a comprehensive treaty to replace the Kyoto protocol of 92 which expires in 2012.
Thus COP17 will be the big one and in our own backyard, like the world cup except that this mega event is not about competition – but complimenting each others’ efforts to reduce human induced climate change effects. The need for an alternative vision to climate politics, the recognition of the importance, scale and intensity of the need of a comprehensive and binding successor of the Kyoto -which is more or less window dressing, is now apparent. An Agreement that recognizes the common responsibility of nations to reduce their carbon footprints, promote and fully utilize clean development mechanisms, while not impeding the development of developing countries. There is also need to focus on technology transfer subsidies as an incentive to attract the adoption of clean development mechanisms, binding sustainable resource utilization policies are also key to the survival of our habitable climate conditions and preservation of the environment.
Africa is at the receiving end of climate related disasters due to a myriad of challenges ranging from underdeveloped infrastructure, poverty and the basic dependence on natural climatic conditions and resources for socio and economic development. Hence the need to focus on clean development mechanism measures and funding of these projects by developed countries and multi-national companies which have heavily benefitted from dirty fossils, as a means of harnessing the runaway global emission.
The energy and transport sectors contribute largely to the carbon footprint of many countries whether developing or developed. There are quite a number of clean energy projects which are lying ideal in most African countries which have the potential of greatly reducing the continents carbon footprint – the Inga Hydroelectric project the largest such project when completed, has the potential to supply Africa and parts of Europe when complete. This project and other such projects could go a long way in reducing the global carbon footprint. There is need to focus on the implementation of such clean energy projects, which are greatly being affected by lack of funding, or just the tendency to wake up late to big things.
On the international forum the need to cajole or whip the Americans and Chinese into line, support the rumbustions of the G77 to tilt the tables in favor of developing countries and also learn from the vibrant ‘’Alba” states’” on sustainable climate policies which will pull Africa and developing nations onto level platform and ensure the negotiation of a comprehensive and binding successor to the Kyoto protocol.
What really is at stake for developing nations – their survival, due to the increasing global temperature the climatic and weather conditions have become more and more erratic and disastrous. Droughts, floods, season shifts are the order of the day with most developing countries depending on rain fed agriculture and other nature based means of productions for sustenance. Changing climatic conditions will deal a big blow to the achievement of MDGs and time is running out hence the need for developing nations to unite and call for binding universal mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Developing nations being the custodians of their own development should fight for the promotion of sustainable utilization of their natural resources for sustainable economic, social and political climate policies which preserve, protect and promote environmental conservation.
Come December 2011 South Africa will be the playground and developing countries will be the vuvuzelas promoting the protection of the environment for future generations. Clean Development Mechanism, alternative clean energy sources and reduction of emissions should be the basis of the successor to the Kyoto protocol.

These spacious blanks we call deserted are not as the name may imply. They were created to provide a source and are a resource of the energy we might want to use for the rest of the earths lifespan without impacting or exploiting the earth’s habitants and health. If all the earths’ deserts were paneled for PV energy it would suffice to provide energy of all the planets energy requirements. So it is from this background that we at The Solar Generation decided to embark on a mission to convince and lure young people to take solar technology at the centre of their lives so as to defend the rights of the unborn children of generations to come, of a clean and hospitable climate and plant.
There are a lot of application for this clean technology ranging from home, health and industrial applications.
The main obstacle remains the monopolization of this technology by developed countries and efforts by large multilateral conglomerates to decampaign and rubbish efforts by climate and environmental defenders to preserve and protect the planet from selfish communities who are receiving capital gains while denying future generations of flora and fauna their rights and the planets right. Sustainable development of Africa is key, to the fight against CC and adaptation of poor countries to these calamities though they may also assist in development as maybe in decades to come some regions will become completely inhabitable.
Sustainable developments then gets to the age old adage give me a fishing rod instead of fish.
Aid to Africa and developing countries should be sustainable and community owned.
Aid in the form of food is guaranteed to be finished by the time one swallows and is a short term solution and has turned to be a dependency factor which communities are being haunted with. Aid in the form of a solar mini P.V station to a growth point in low income communities though capital costs are high can guarantee 20-30 years of clean and sustainable energy source for socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation.
Poverty will continue to haunt poor developing nations as long as sustainable technology is continually out pricing the income of communities. Government subsidies in sustainable technology and support for sustainable technology projects in institutions of learning, low income rural communities will go a long way in fighting CC and poverty and developing sustainably of low income rural communities IN DEVELOPING NATIONS.
Adaptation and mitigation, binding pacts are well behind schedule. The UN should come up with global conventions which compel the world’s largest emitters, oil producing countries to invest or donate a certain percentage of their profits to research, development and support to low-carbon projects in developing nations.
Large multilateral oil companies are reaping billions in profits annually; the automotive industries are mulling the advancement of clean technology on automobiles and also reaping billions from polluting the planet while investing close to nothing in clean technology.
Hence the time is now for the world to look back and reflect on the damage already done and focus on a binding solution to combat climate change and make the world a better place to for you and me and generations to come.