|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You Are
Here: |
Local News|
Thursday, February 17, 2005 - Web posted at 7:36:56 GMT Kyoto's special significance for Namibia SAM WITHEROWTHE advent of the Kyoto Protocol holds special significance for Namibia, a country particularly at risk from abrupt climate change. |
|
The treaty, which has been ratified by 141 countries, has been designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a global problem blamed for the increase in global warming. The Namibian Government ratified the treaty in September 2003, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was quick to support Namibia's contribution. To coincide with the protocol coming into effect, the UNDP recently released a statement highlighting the pertinence of the treaty to the Namibian environment and economy. It told of how abrupt climate change could wreak havoc in Namibia, a country highly dependent on its natural resources. Because of Namibia's already harsh climate, the slightest variation in rainfall or temperature levels may prove devastating, subsistence agriculture and wildlife likely being the hardest hit. The central areas of the country are most at risk: the UNDP pointed out that even if rainfall increases, there is likely to be less available water due to a more than equivalent rise in evaporation. It envisaged a scary scenario where much of Walvis Bay could find itself under water as sea levels are expected to rise by as much as one metre. Namibia is fortunately eligible for financial support in order to meet the demands of the protocol, and the UNDP aims to help Namibia in responding to climate change without undue damage to the economy. However, the fate of Namibia's climate rests largely outside its borders. The bulk of the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will fall to industrialised and European nations, some of the world's heaviest polluters. |
|
||||
PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 279600 - Fax: +264 (61) 279602
|
