Agriculture News South Africa

Will agriculture be in Durban's climate change text?

BusinessGreen reports that South African President Jacob Zuma is expected to lead a bid to include a specific mention for agriculture in the negotiating text. Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, directly accounting for about 14% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Will agriculture be in Durban's climate change text?

However, farmers are also vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures, such as prolonged droughts and flooding that can damage crops. The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is also calling for a secured text on agriculture in the UNFCCC negotiations.

Efforts to cut agricultural greenhouse gas emissions while also helping farmers adapt to the impacts of global warming will emerge as a critical issue for world leaders at UN climate change talks starting in South Africa this week. Agriculture was dropped from the text during the December 2010 COP16 negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, after negotiators failed to reach an agreement. This means that agriculture does not have a dedicated work programme for addressing how it can be incorporated into the broader climate agreement.

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