NAIROBI - November 10 - Thousands of people are expected to join a march in
Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday 11 November as part of a global call for
action on climate change.
The march takes place as government ministers from around the world
arrive in Nairobi for the crucial final week of the UN climate talks,
aimed at reaching an international agreement on future cuts in climate
change-causing gases like carbon dioxide.
The event follows major events in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas,
including a demonstration and rally in London which attracted more than
25,000 people, and thousands of people at Walks against Warming across
Australia, Other events included a demonstration and "lights out" action
in the United States and rallies in Bangladesh, South Africa, Taiwan and
Brazil.
Friends of the Earth International, in Nairobi to take part in the
talks, will be joining the march with representatives from around the
world calling for tough action to tackle climate change.
Friends of the Earth International Climate Campaigner Catherine Pearce said:
"All around the world people have taken to the streets to demanding
action to tackle climate change. These talks here in Nairobi represent a
real opportunity for governments to make real progress on an
international agreement. Global action is essential if we are to tackle
this global problem. Ministers must respond to the urgency of the cause."
Friends of the Earth International is calling on governments to define a
clear work programme for the post 2012 negotiations while in Nairobi,
following the progress made at UN talks in Montreal last year.
Countries are committed, under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol, to carry
out a rigorous review of the Kyoto Protocol - and this process should
begin in Nairobi. On-going negotiations must also take place on the
future action of industrialised countries, as set out in article 3.9 of
the Kyoto Protocol. These negotiations should be given a clear end date
of 2008.
Additional agreements are also urgently required to resolve arrangements
for the Adaptation Fund which finances projects on the ground in
developing countries to help manage the impacts of climate change. In
addition, governments of rich countries must increase funding for
adaptation in less developed countries.
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