Not ready to cut gas emissions-Mokaila

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Tuesday January 12, 2010 00:00

 

Molaila says that at the just ended Copenhagen Climate Change Conference they proposed that Botswana be allowed to keep on producing gases in development activities, reach the peak stage and thereafter decline its emissions like all countries.

'A preferred date for Botswana before cutting emissions was 2030 given Morupule and Mmamabula timeline,' said Mokaila. However the date finally agreed upon was 2025, which, said the minister still allows the country to develop.

 'Cutting emissions would stop Botswana from developing, because as you know development goes hand in hand with energy consumptions and gas emissions,' he said.

The minister however said while they had expected to hear that a legal agreement binding developed countries to commit to the Kyoto protocol had been signed, they were disappointed. Nevertheless, said Mokaila, Botswana can benefit from the US$10 billion pledged at the conference which will be used to attract direct foreign investment into the country.

He said one reason for attending the conference was to defend the interests of developing countries and to ensure that Botswana does not get bonded by agreements to cut emissions. Ruud Jansen, Chief Technical Advisor at the ministry, told Mmegi that global warming should not be perceived to be all bad since it could lead to a lot of business and employment opportunities in Botswana. He says that new technologies require new skills and operators, which ultimately leads to creation of jobs.   Jansen says that at the conference, the main concern was that developed countries have not done their part as far as the Kyoto Protocol is concerned.  He says that the world is going to be stuck with the problem of increased emissions and global warming until top countries reduce their emissions as agreed in the protocol.

Tebogo Tyolo from the Attorney General Chambers told Mmegi that developing countries did well by rejecting the proposal of the developed countries that wanted to do away with the Kyoto Protocol.  She says that the protocol compels them to reduce their gas emissions.  'Developed countries wanted to do away with the protocol and formulate an arrangement that compels everybody, including Botswana to cut their emissions.  This would be a disadvantage to us,' she says.