Egyptian experts slam Canada's quit from Kyoto Protocol
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Xinhua, December 15, 2011
Canada's decision to quit the Kyoto Protocol has come under criticism in Egypt, where local experts said developed nations should shoulder more responsibilities in coping with climate change.
"Canada's quit means killing the protocol, and shows the irresponsibility of developed countries," Ezzat Abde Hamid, an expert on climate change at the Cairo-based Center of Development and Environmental Consultations, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Hamid said that when developing nations are carrying out their development plans, some developed countries, like Canada, consider the Kyoto Protocol a sort of burden for their further development.
"Developed countries should bear the main responsibility as they started the industrial revolution long before the developing (countries). At the same time, developing countries have right to have a chance to achieve their development plans," he said.
Meanwhile, the expert stressed the role of developing nations in countering climate change, saying they should also "take an action towards the problem."
He said China, as one of the most important developing countries in the world, has set a good example by "taking measures to show its responsibility."
Khaled el-Kady, a professor of environmental sciences at Cairo University, said Canada's quit from the Kyoto Protocol was not a surprise as the country has not taken "serious actions to appear committed to the protocol."
"The protocol will be discussed for its renewal in 2012, so they should make the agreement legally binding, not voluntary, and agree on punitive measures against countries which violate agreed items," he said.
No country should be given a chance to escape its responsibility, el-Kady said.
Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent on Monday announced his country's quit from the Kyoto Protocol, which has drawn harsh criticism from around the world.
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