Durban - South Africa has urged Canada to reconsider its
position of not entering into a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol,
officials said on Thursday.
Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa called
on Canada to recommit to Kyoto.
Molewa heads South Africa's delegation to the 17th
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change taking place in Durban.
AFP reported that Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent
said on Monday that Canada "will not make a second commitment to
Kyoto".
Molewa said the climate talks had to be inclusive to ensure
a balanced outcome. The effects of climate change were real and already
noticeable.
The Kyoto Protocol was an important first step towards
establishing binding global emission reduction regimes which would stabilise
greenhouse gas emissions and allow a common climate change agreement, she
said.
Adopted in December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol founded
multilateral rules governing binding targets for the 37 industrialised
countries for reducing greenhouse gases.