Poor countries as guilty as rich ones
Dec 27, 2009
EDITOR - I have been following the developments in Copenhagen concerning climate change. Developing countries want industrialised ones to pay for emission of greenhouse gases which are responsible for global warming. However, I believe they have no moral
EDITOR - I have been following the developments in Copenhagen concerning climate change. Developing countries want industrialised ones to pay for emission of greenhouse gases which are responsible for global warming. However, I believe they have no moral authority to ask for pay.
It should not be forgotten that although industrialised countries are the largest producers of the green-house gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitric acid, etc) that account for the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, developing countries too produce a good percentage of these gases. These gases, especially carbon dioxide, are also emitted by developing countries by industries, factories, old vehicles, bush burning, etc but we have largely done nothing to reduce or even stop these emissions.
We should not therefore forget that it is only the emissions by developed countries that are responsible for climate change.
Before we ask the industrialised countries to pay for the emissions, we should remember to ask how much we have done ourselves to reduce the emissions. Since we are and are to be affected more by the effects of climate change like prolonged drought leading to reduction in water levels, crop failure, floods,
etc, it is high time we controlled our own emissions before turning the guns on others and demand for pay.
If I may ask, do developing countries need financial assistance to plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide? Are the industrialised countries responsible for swamp reclamation in the developing countries? Do they impose old vehicles on us or are they to blame for encroaching on forests?
We should first do what we can to mitigate climate change and then ask for financial assistance where we fail.
David Musiimaami
Institutional Relations Officer
Uganda Technical College-Elgon
It should not be forgotten that although industrialised countries are the largest producers of the green-house gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitric acid, etc) that account for the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, developing countries too produce a good percentage of these gases. These gases, especially carbon dioxide, are also emitted by developing countries by industries, factories, old vehicles, bush burning, etc but we have largely done nothing to reduce or even stop these emissions.
We should not therefore forget that it is only the emissions by developed countries that are responsible for climate change.
Before we ask the industrialised countries to pay for the emissions, we should remember to ask how much we have done ourselves to reduce the emissions. Since we are and are to be affected more by the effects of climate change like prolonged drought leading to reduction in water levels, crop failure, floods,
etc, it is high time we controlled our own emissions before turning the guns on others and demand for pay.
If I may ask, do developing countries need financial assistance to plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide? Are the industrialised countries responsible for swamp reclamation in the developing countries? Do they impose old vehicles on us or are they to blame for encroaching on forests?
We should first do what we can to mitigate climate change and then ask for financial assistance where we fail.
David Musiimaami
Institutional Relations Officer
Uganda Technical College-Elgon