Media Briefing to be held ahead of Durban Climate Talks

Nairobi, Kenya

The African Biodiversity Network (ABN, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy (PACJA) and Action Aid Kenya will tomorrow hold a half day meeting on the current state of play and what is at stake for African food producers in climate change negotiations, as the country, and continent, prepares to go to the 17^th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa.

Kenya, and other African countries, have contributed very little to global warming, but will be affected severely by climate change. While the continent has a role to play in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, Africa’s major focus is on issues of adaptation due to devastating impacts of climate change on Africa’s agriculture. Yet, in the past year, an effort to get African governments to endorse an agriculture work program with a mitigation focus has been stepped up by key international organizations such as the World Bank.

Agriculture is a key issue in the negotiations in Durban.  There are key concerns regarding soil carbon offsets and the push for it to be included in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), including its impact on reducing global warming in Africa, its political rationale, methodology and reliance on carbon markets.

The meeting will thus focus on the following objectives:

a) Understanding the current status of the climate change negotiations with particular emphasis on agriculture and what it means for Kenya and Africa.  What is Africa’s position?

b) Gaining an understanding of why the push for soil carbon markets, what projects currently exist, opportunities and risks in the carbon trading scheme

c) Get an update of the focus of ABN, PACJA and other partners in Durban including a status of the Caravan of Hope

The guests will include Media practitioners and experts in climate change and climate justice.