UN asked to help Africa adapt to climate change

According to Business Day, the African countries at the United Nations climate change summit (COP-17) in Durban have urged the UN’s science advisory body to adopt global warming adaptation measures. "Adaptation remains the highest priority for the continent," a representative from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said on Monday.

Silvia Merega, the head of the Argentine delegation who was speaking on behalf of the G-77 plus China, declared COP-17 sessions under the Nairobi Work Programme should deal with "the implementation of adaptation measures urgently needed in developing countries".

"A Gambian representative, speaking for the bloc of 49 least developed countries, said adaptation could only be achieved if there was research and systematic observation. Otherwise adaptation planning will be difficult to achieve ... (We need) real data and information to make informed decisions," she said.