Motlanthe calls for balance

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has called for global leaders representing 195 countries gathered in Durban for COP17 to cooperate and be tolerant of one another to ensure mutual agreement on the way forward.

Motlanthe was speaking after completing the "Walk the Future" social mobilisation walk from Ushaka Marine World to North Beach.

"Tolerance and cooperation regarding what needs to be done going forward is scant and no one country can meet the challenges [on its own]. The mitigation of climate change has to be cooperative; there must be agreement between countries on what is to be done."

He said he hoped South Africa's experience in mediating challenging dialogues in war-torn countries and drawing from its long-held practice of reaching decisions by consensus would assist the conference to come up with concrete commitments to reduce green- house gas emissions to sustainable levels.

"Our way of life is slowly cutting away our oxygen supply as we deplete forests, contaminate rivers and oceans and pollute the environment without paying due regard to the negative impact greenhouse emissions have on [sustainability]. We acknowledge that climate change is a highly complex and contested issue, but we must seek ways to balance the conundrum and dilemma between the need to reduce emissions and the need for creating growth, especially for developing countries," he said.

He said the exponential impact that people's actions had on global temperatures and climate made it imperative for world leaders to find ways and means to slow down the increase in global temperatures.

Motlanthe added that the effects of climate change were likely to affect the poor because of threats to food security and other subsistence amenities. He said it was important to use innovation to triumph over challenges of climate change and to turn them into economic opportunities.