BANGKOK, Apr 03, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) — By Nutthathirataa Withitwinyuchon

Climate activists from developing countries rallied outside UNESCAP building in Bangkok Sunday morning to ask rich industrialized countries to pay reparations for causing and exacerbating the global climate crisis.

A group of activists from Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia and Africa were protesting outside the United Nations ESCAP building, the venue of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) talks, carrying a huge effigy of Uncle Sam symbolizing how the United States and other Annex I countries are dominating the climate talks.

According to Willy D’Costa of the Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), a member of Jubilee South-Asia/Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JSAPMDD), science and history show that Annex I countries directly account for three quarters of historical emissions even as they comprise only one quarter of the world’s population.

Not only have the Annex I countries denied developing countries, or countries of the South, their rightful share of atmospheric space, the excessive emissions of Annex I countries have led to global warming and climate change, he said.

“They [rich industrialized countries] owe huge climate debt to the peoples and countries of the South,” D’Costa said.

D’Costa also told Xinhua that the Annex I countries, particularly the United States, must be responsible for causing the gas emission over the past century.

“The Annex I countries, especially the U.S. and all others, are responsible for the mess because the climate crisis has been created by them. And they are refusing to do anything about it. They should pay for it and should ensure the emission will be cut down,” D’Costa insisted.

The Annex I nations are classified as industrialized countries and countries with economies in transition.

When asked whether the developed countries should support the developing countries financially in efforts to curb climate change, D’Costa replied “Yes, they should support for the climate mess so that the poor countries, the developing countries can manage to cope with the crisis, to transfer the technology, not through any company but directly to the state so that we can change the technology to make it more climate friendly.”

Wardarina, an Indonesian activist from another JSAPMDD member, also talked about another element of climate debt.

“Since Annex I countries are responsible for climate change, reparations should include providing the finance and technology needed by people of the South to deal with its harmful impacts now and in the future,” she said.

Source

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Newsfeed/Article/129171886/201104030225/Interview-Activists-demand-developed-countries-to-pay-reparations-for-climate-crisis.aspx

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