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Major climate change forum begins Annan to move on African climate
(20 minutes later)
A conference on climate change attended by ministers from around the world is due to open in Kenya. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to announce measures to help Africa adapt to climate change at a major UN climate summit in Nairobi.
They will look at ways of moving beyond the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases and bringing emerging countries such as Brazil, China and India into its scope. Mr Annan is expected to focus on helping Africa access clean development projects and adapt to climate impacts.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to focus on bringing clean energy projects to African countries. Ministers from 189 countries will begin discussing draft agreements prepared over the last week and a half.
Africa contributes little to climate change - but analysts say it may bear its impacts most deeply. Environmental groups however are bemoaning a lack of ambition on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental groups are complaining about a lack of progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 'Lack of urgency'
New targets Deals have been reached on many of the issues outstanding two days ago.
The conference of environment ministers in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, comes as Mr Annan prepares to step down at the end of the year. But delegates have failed to agree a timetable for the completion of discussions on globally binding emissions cuts beyond the existing Kyoto Protocol targets.
The secretary general said he wanted the meeting to focus on Africa and bringing clean energy projects to the continent. href="/1/hi/sci/tech/6148750.stm" class="">Climate insurance for poor href="/1/hi/business/4919848.stm" class="">Q&A: The carbon trade "Just two weeks ago the Stern Report made clear that urgent global action is needed to head off the devastating human, environmental and economic impacts of climate change," said Catherine Pearce, international climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth UK.
He will also call for more aid designed to protect African communities against the impact of climate change. "So far at Nairobi we have seen precious little sense of urgency."
href="/1/hi/sci/tech/6148750.stm" class="">Climate insurance for poor href="/1/hi/business/4919848.stm" class="">Q&A: The carbon trade There was never a chance of the targets themselves being negotiated here, but many observers maintain that unless a clear timetable emerges there will not be enough time to get new targets into place before 2012, when the Kyoto targets expire.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol increases funding for clean development but so far Africa has missed out on the benefits, the BBC News website's environment correspondent Richard Black says. Fund management
After Mr Anan's speech and the ceremonial opening, ministers will get to grips with the draft agreements which delegates have been working on in recent days. One outstanding issue which has for now been resolved concerns the management of the Adaptation Fund, designed to help the poorest countries protect themselves against climate impacts.
Deals have been reached on some of the outstanding issues but environmental groups say on the biggest one of all - moving towards a new round of global targets for emission cuts - there has been no meaningful progress. A bloc of richer countries had been arguing for the fund to be administered by the Global Environment Facility (Gef), a UN affiliate which already manages many environmental funds.
Our correspondent says there was never a chance of the targets themselves being negotiated here but delegates have failed even to agree a timetable for the completion of discussions on cuts beyond the existing Kyoto Protocol targets. Some developing countries argued that Gef constraints were too stringent.
Observers maintain that unless a clear timetable emerges there will not be enough time to get new targets into place before 2012, when the Kyoto targets expire. For the moment they have got their way in a compromise deal which will see the fund governed by a new body with a guaranteed majority of developing country delegates, though Gef might still be called in to manage it under this new body.
The Kyoto Protocol sets limits for emissions of six greenhouse gases for the richer countries of the world which have ratified it. "The fund is how we [the richer developing countries] share the benefits of clean development with the poorest countries, the countries which produce least greenhouse gases and so have few options for mitigating their emissions," said Bernaditas Muller, head of the Philippines delegation, who spoke for the G-77 bloc during negotiations.
The US and Australia have rejected the compulsory cap. "It can't be treated like donor money - it's our money, a solidarity fund."
China has ratified the Protocol, but as a developing nation, it is not required to reduce its emissions - despite its booming economy. Ministers can over the next three days revisit any of the areas which appear to have been agreed, and lengthy negotiations are anticipated.
A report by former World Bank economist Sir Nicholas Stern earlier this month warned of severe problems if global warming was ignored.