Call to Save the Planet Opens COP17

Durban, South Africa, Nov 28. -The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), inaugurated on Monday, calls to tackle global warming as a matter of life or death.During the opening ceremony, South African President Jacob Zuma urged UN agencies, States and parties of the UN Convention to find a solution in Durban and work on reaching a balanced, just and credible result.

Zuma insisted that a multilateral spirit, based on the regulations of the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, must prevail during the event, which will last until December 9.

Zuma noted that an agreement on a second a commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol should be reached as well as a pact on the nature the future system to tackle climate change.

The Kyoto protocol sets the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in 5.2 percent with regards of the levels of 1990 by 2012.

President Zuma also considered necessary to aid under-developed countries for them to carry out mitigation and adaptation actions through the Green Climate Fund, created in Cancun a year ago.

On the other hand, the president affirmed that the solutions to the effects climate change should not be separated from the fight to eradicate poverty.

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will alternate with the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7). (Prensa Latina)