The Road to Durban: Climate Change and Adaptation

Map courtesy of Google Earth 2011.

As delegates gather in the sea side city of Durban, South Africa, am pretty sure what's going on in the minds of many is how to enhance the post-Kyoto Protocol agreement while drawing lessons from the past mistakes. A lot is riding on this and am also sure the agenda must be packed up, but this notwithstanding, all and sundry have to boldly and openly examine the achievements and gains or lack of it, that have been made so far since the Kyoto protocol came into force back in 2005.
Many countries especially in the west, are yet to meet their set out targets pertaining to carbon reduction emissions  as agreed . Other countries like China which never ratified the protocol in the first place and thus were not obliged to reduce their emissions, ought to be encouraged to join other nations in good faith in order to save our planet from the looming catastrophic effects of climate change and global warming. China itself being one of the largest polluters, certainly has to commit to some degree to cut down its carbon emissions in the post-Kyoto treaty through massive investments in green technology and other efficient and clean energy sources. The Kyoto protocol had also established market based mechanism through which countries could adopt in meeting meeting their targets  i.e. the emissions trading, joint implementation and the clean development mechanism.
The existing members who have been party to the Kyoto protocol, need to step up their efforts and campaign even after the expiration of the protocol period come 2012.
Emerging economic giants like Brazil and India, need to be encouraged to focus their energy and development efforts along the green path by putting more resources in areas like wind and solar energy which have been found to be effective sources of energy to power industrialization.
The developing countries are also required to chip in as well in this initiative. Much of the negative impacts of climate change through studies and research have clearly shown that these countries stand to suffer a great deal from the negative impacts of climate change through prolonged droughts, floods- which are currently being experienced in various parts of many countries, and disease incidents to mention but a few.
The role of indigenous communities in the post-Kyoto protocol also needs to be enhanced to ensure that there is a win-win situation even as conservationists continue to invest their resources and energy in rallying people behind the banner of climate change and global warming. Their roles, responsibilities and benefits ought to be clearly defined and given priority in the discussions to avert a scenario where government apply an iron rule while implementing noble projects like the REDD+ initiative. This is especially so considering that most of them are still domiciled in the remotest areas in the country side; their economy and traditions in general, hinges on the provisions of nature which makes them quite vulnerable on the impacts of climate change and global warmoing. In the same breadth, more research still needs to be conducted on adaptation and resilience especially among the most vulnerable groups in the community. Governments need to be encouraged to include and factor in issues relating to the vulnerable groups in their annual budgets  and development plans in order to cushion such groups at least in the short run. An the global scale, delegates need to discuss the possibility of setting up a global fund solely aimed at equipping these groups with the necessary wherewithal and technology that'll boost their chances of survival and adaptation.
The role of gender and the youth hasn't really received much attention in the climate debate. Gender here refers mainly to the role of women in combating climate change. Women represent a unique constituency as far as adaptation and resilience is concerned mostly in traditional economies where the role of every individual is still uniquely defined. Women are the ones mostly left home to cater for the homesteads in traditional communities which makes them the best targets in efforts geared towards conservation. Unlike their male counterparts who are mostly mobile, moving from city to city in search of employment and a living, women are static and therefore the right people to receive empowerment and training in adaptation. They also suffer the most since very few if any in many traditional societies, have access to land rights and entitlements which would bolster their investment in green technologies.
The youth are also equally important. These are the same folks who are expected to take over the leadership mantle and and provide solutions to the present and the future generation and as such they need thorough preparation and training in conservation and climate science. These are the same people who are informed in modern technology and science that would probably define and shape the future of adaptation in the face of climate change. The existing groups and voices within the climate debate-which have hitherto been low, need a jolt in order to bring their issues, roles and responsibility strongly to the fore in the post-Kyoto agreement. An all inclusive framework therefore ought to be developed that would set out measurable goals with a credible followup mechanism both at country level and also within the overall UNFCCC.