COP 27 ended lukewarm and without any breaking news. Peggada gives you a summary of the main conclusions.
Climate change has been on the table for the past two weeks in Egypt. The COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh was marked by certain consensus but also by a lack of ambition on the part of several world leaders. The nuances of COP 27 demonstrate shy climate agendas that are disproportionate to the size of the problem. Peggada shows you some of the most important points of the most recent COP:
1. Who was there
The Conferences of the Parties dedicated to climate change are an opportunity
for the United States of America to come together to discuss a common problem, and this discussion ends up attracting many other important figures, such as scientists, young activists, and members of the most varied industries. And the course of the negotiations can be profoundly influenced by these figures present, but also those absent. The most recent COP was marked by the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russia also chose not to be represented at the COP, making three of the largest global emitters show a clear lack of interest in being part of the debate on climate change framed by the United Nations. In addition, the conference was attended by more than 600 representatives belonging to fossil fuel industry lobbies, a 25% increase over the previous year’s COP.
The conference hosted by Egypt received strong criticism from the beginning for having as official sponsor one of the most polluting brands globally, Coca-Cola. It was in this environment that the negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh took place, and the results generated reflect this.
2. The Loss and Damage fund
There are countries less responsible for the climate crisis. In a climate justice paradigm, this means that these same countries are rewarded by the developed countries
for all the losses and damages they have experienced in their territories, which include the destruction of essential infrastructure, loss of human lives, and
food safety. In his final speech, António Guterres stressed that it would be an
act of justice the delivery of the amount promised for adaptation (100 billion dollars annually) by developed countries to developing countries. The creation of a Fund for Loss and Damage – still with several loose ends regarding its operationalization – is considered the major victory of COP27. However, many consider it a very small step on the road to climate justice, because there is no really fair way to reward developed countries for the losses they have suffered, and because even if this effort exists, developed countries have not yet shown any real commitment to going to the root of the problem, a problem that involves a consumption model deeply dependent on fossil fuels. According to climate activist Julia Davis, the degree of ambition of this fund is comparable to that of a penthouse neighbor who flooded his downstairs neighbors’ house because he left his bathtub faucet running and who pledges to replace some of the downstairs neighbors’ furniture but never to actually turn off his faucet.
3. Fossil fuels are here to stay
The 600 or so representatives of the fossil fuel industry did not address the
biggest climate change conference in vain. The final text generated in Egypt
speaks of the need to urgently transform energy systems and make a
transition to renewable energy sources in an effort to mitigate the climate crisis. However, several parties advocated a higher degree of ambition that would include putting in writing the ambition to phase out dependence on fossil fuels and coal completely. Following the metaphor used above, this
would represent the formalization of the ambition to “turn off the tap. According to Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, the influence of the fossil lobby had profound impacts on COP27 and ultimately meant the publication of a decision
The end with no major references to science and in line with the agendas of states linked to the fossil fuel industry. However, it’s not all bad news and the conference served to get several states to join a mechanism proposed by civil society, the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, which aims to ban and halt the exploitation of fossil fuels and accelerate the
mitigation process proposed by the Paris Agreement.
Despite the difficulty in reaching a consensus, the Secretary General of the United Nations made a point of recalling that “The most vital energy source in the world is the energy of people”. and that only through a serious debate about climate change at the global level can the 1.5 degrees Celcius goal be achieved. António Guterres also dedicated part of his final speech to all the members of civil society who are pressuring States to adopt a truly impactful climate agenda, adding “this is what
we need.”
Leonor (better known as Nônô) inherited the taste for nature from her paternal grandfather, who used to carry seeds in his pockets to plant them when the time was right. She founded the Environmentalist Nucleus at the University where she graduated, was involved in civil disobedience movements for climate justice, and studied in London where she tasted the best veggie burger she knows to date. She pursued a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations because it is an area she considers key to create a paradigm for climate justice. She went to Paris to deepen her knowledge in sustainability and later to write a thesis in the same area. Proud of her pots of mint and basil, an avid reader, a fan of afternoons spent around the table, an apologist for simplicity. She suspects she would be happy with a vegetable garden and a profession associated with sustainability and human rights.
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