Rich nations should pay more for enviromental damage - enviromentalist

RICH nations are the major contributors to environmental damage and should therefore provide more funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation, says environmentalist Edwin Mphofu.

He said the ongoing U.N. climate conference, in Egypt, is an opportunity for African leaders to push the continent’s needs on top of the agenda.

Mr Mphofu said African countries should demand that western countries which are responsible for the current situation the globe has found itself in are compelled to pay more for the environmental degradation.

He also said it is important for Africa to do more and ensure that issues of climate change are dealt with as it is wreaking havoc on agriculture and fisheries.

Mr Mphofu said Africa will be hardest hit, although it has contributed the least to the environmental damage.

He said Africa requires billions of dollars to deal with the worst effects of this development which has an impact on the continent’s food security.

Mr Mphofu said the industrialised nations are the ones which have caused the most damage therefore they should be the ones to pay more for restoration of the environment.

It’s unfortunate, he said, that wealthy countries are falling far short of their commitments to finance climate coping strategies in Africa despite being the major contributors to climate degradation.

Mr Mphofu said a recent study by the Climate Policy Initiative, found that that Africa is only receiving around $30 billion of the $277 billion per year needed to address climate change on the continent, adding that most of the funding is being given in form of loans.