President drives climate message home

From: Virtual Seychelles

President James Michel was on Wednesday scheduled to address the Copenhagen summit and hammer home his call for the urgent need to counter climate change.

He has, over many years, been beating the warning drum, and the global audience was expected to be more attentive and action-oriented as efforts to reach a new agreement replacing the Kyoto Protocol reached a climax.Mr Michel led Seychelles’ high-level team including Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Transport Joel Morgan, who arrived there on Tuesday.In the team were secretary of state Jean-Paul Adam, the President’s special adviser Dr Rolph Payet, our ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations Ronny Jumeau and principal secretary for environment Didier Dogley.Also present will be Wills Agricole from the Department of the Environment, who is our focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Lyndy Bastienne representing non-governmental organisations.Parties to the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol are expected to agree on a “package” of outcomes defining the international response to climate change for the coming decade. Seychelles, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States, is proposing a reduction of greenhouse gas concentrations to below 350 parts per million and a global average temperature no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.A press release from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Transport said: “Parties will have to agree on a coherent financial architecture for climate change, guided by agreed principles and with equitable governance and simplified access procedures.

“This should aim at ensuring the provision of direct access to funds, and that funding provided specifically for climate change adaptation efforts is not simply subtracted from existing development assistance.

“Seychelles will push to ensure there is enough funding commitment for both adaptation and mitigation measures for vulnerable and most-affected countries.”