Industrialized countries are required under the United Nations Framework to commit funding and also announce measures to reduce emission of dangerous gases responsible for global warming.
But the countries like China, Canada, and Japan on the second day of the negotiations in Durban, South Africa had indicated that they were likely not to commit such funding or announce their measures to limit the emission of the dangerous gases.
The failure by big polluters like United States now joined by Canada, China and Japan means there could be less money for countries like Uganda to respond to floods, drought and other climate change –related disasters.
David Ebong, a former chairperson of Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change in an interview at the sidelines of the conference said the developed countries were sending a dangerous signal to countries like Uganda.
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Ebong says without international funding Uganda may need to commit more of its own resources to respond to climate change disasters.
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Uganda government’s budgetary allocations to the environment has not increased in the last three financial years even with more disasters in form of floods, droughts and possibly lightning.
Kumi Naidoo, the Executive Director of environment activist Greenpeace International says it would be pointless to ask people in developing countries to protect their trees to the benefit of polluting countries like the US.
The delegates in Durban are expected negotiate what is called a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto protocol has been the legal framework guiding the global climate change negotiations. The adoption of the second commitment period means there will still be funding for developing countries under the Clean Development Mechanism.
Uganda had benefited from such funding to finance urban garbage management, power plants like the Nyagak and other clean technologies like solar power extension.
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The EU on Monday said it is willing to sign up for a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol but other signatories, including Russia, Japan and Canada, are pulling out.
