Madrid, December 12 (RHC)-- Cuba reiterated on Wednesday its commitment to global efforts to address climate change but made clear the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) repeatedly urges countries to pursue more climate goals. Still, for developing countries, the issue can be counterproductive.

Cuban authorities consider those common responsibilities are neither equitable nor just, because countries are not all equally responsible for the pollution, and this means that contributions to the solution have to be differentiated.

Developing countries should not carry the burden of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that lead to global warming when developed countries have contributed the most massive amounts.

Cuban First Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment, Jose Fidel Santana, speaking on behalf of Cuba in the High-Level Segment of the Climate Change Conference, said that efforts are currently being coordinated to update Cuba's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2020, which will be more ambitious in several ways.

He considered the issue of adaptation to be an essential priority in these circumstances, especially for vulnerable countries and in particular, for island developing states.