Cablegate: Chad: Response to Climate Change Demarche Re.

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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 250901Z JAN 10 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7608
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000040

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STATE FOR AF/C
STATE FOR S/USSES
STATE FOR OES - NELSON, KASTENBERG, LARSEN
NSC FOR GAVIN
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KGHG SENV PREL PGOV SU CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE DEMARCHE RE.
JANUARY 31 COPENHAGEN ACCORD DEADLINE

REF: STATE 3080

1. (SBU) DCM and Democracy/Development Officer met January
21 with Sandjima Dounia, Secretary General of the Chadian
Ministry of Environment, to deliver points in reftel on the
desirability of Chad's associating itself with the Copenhagen
Accord on climate change. Sandjima made clear that Chad
"looked forward to signing up" (tient a s'inscrire) to the
Accord with the UNFCCC Secretariat, but he did not make
promises that this would be done by the January 31 deadline.

2. (SBU) Sandjima recalled that Chad was enormously
concerned about environmental degradation. For this reason,
it had sent a very large delegation to Copenhagen, including
not only President Deby and reps of the Prime Minister's
office, but also the Ministers of Environment, Energy,
Planning and Foreign Affairs, along with many others.
President Deby's intervention had focused on the
disappearance of Lake Chad, the effects of deforestation and
desertification on the nation, and climate change. Chad had
a national plan containing descriptions of projects necessary
to address these problems, and it sought financial assistance
from international partners with specific projects.

3. (SBU) Sandjima stressed that "the world would be at
risk" unless the international community coordinated its
response to climate change. We noted that significant new
funding mechanisms would be available, provided that the
Copenhagen Accords were adopted on schedule. We also
indicated, per reftel, that the most vulnerable countries,
which might well include Chad, would be prioritized for
assistance. Sandjima invited us to look at the projects in
Chad's national plan with a view to offering advice on
funding mechanisms for them.

4. (SBU) Chad's proposed projects, described in the
National Program for Adaptation to Climate change, include a
priority listing and presentation of ten projects totaling
$14.2 million. As s the case with other African states
located jus south of the Sahara and the semi-arid region
knwn as the Sahel, Cha has suffered some of the most
dramatic effects of climate change in terms of rduced
rainfall and concomitant reduction in amouts of surface
water. The highest-rnking project in Chad's national
program focuses on maximizing the use of remaining surface
and subsurface water resources. The national plan also
places a high priority on developing crop varieties that are
better suited to current climate patterns, preservation of
soil fertility, development of pasture and animal feed
reserves for the segment of the population dependent on
livestock, and capacity-building for government offices
responsible for climate prediction.

5. (U) Minimize considered.
NIGRO

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