'Country Faces More Environmental Challenges Than Climate Change'.

Byline: Isaac Khisa

Ms Almas Jiwani is the President of the Canadian National Committee for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM Canada). Sunday Monitor's Isaac Khisa spoke to her on issues surrounding climate change and women. We bring you excerpts:-

According to UN report that was released a few weeks ago, many countries did not achieve the pledges made in Copenhagen of reducing carbon emission. Now with the Cancun conference, do we expect a reverse trend?

The United Nations report found that the pledges made under the non-binding agreements in Copenhagen last year would provide only 60 per cent of the emissions cuts necessary to ensure that the fore-casted global temperatures do not increase over 2 degrees Celsius.

We have to remember that climate change is a long-term phenomenon and we have to keep working on it with world leaders to achieve optimal greenhouse reduction targets that may vary based on geographical, economic and political factors.

The UN report highlights the importance of global cooperation and I believe that the Cancun conference will provide a platform to solidify the agreements made in Copenhagen and make progress in discussions of funding for developing …