Sudanese Environment Official Wants Strong Backing to Adaptation Fund

Doha, December 01 (QNA) - Consultant at the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources in Sudan Ismail Elgizouli said Saturday that future of an adaptation fund will depend on approving an agreement for the second commitment period of Kyoto during the COP18 being held in Doha. Elgizouli proposed imposing a tax on Carbon trading, while asking for exploring different ways to finance the fund. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Elgizouli linked the future of the adaptation fund to approving a second commitment period, expected to start in January 1 2013. He said that there was still debates on whether the commitment period should be eight or five years and whether greenhouse gas emissions should be decreased by 40% or 20%. He said that the adaptation fund is dedicated to developing countries, particularly the least developed ones, in order to face political crises. Elgizouli said that the fund was facing financial difficulties and called for a bigger contribution from developed countries. Elgizouli said that finding new ways to finance the fund is paramount and revealed that Sudan proposed applying a carbon trading tax on developed countries that would go to the fund. He said that the decrease in the price of Carbon favored developed countries and called for increasing Carbon prices. He noted that the unusually low prices of Carbon put the developing countries at a disadvantage, because they end up accepting joint projects with developed countries that has a large Carbon footprint for a small price. He said that increasing the price of Carbon in the market will help developing countries benefit more from such projects. Another disadvantage, he said, was that developing countries which had a Carbon surplus, sold its Carbon to developed countries at a very low price. Elgizouli revealed that the African Group of Negotiators were currently discussing the lowering of greenhouse emissions to 40-50%, rather than 20% (END)