Every year, representatives from countries all over the world come together to discuss the state of global climate change and what can be done to mitigate its effects. This event is called the Conference of the Parties, or COP for short. The most recent COP took place in Egypt in November 2022.
Here’s a brief overview of what transpired during COP 27 and how you can help make a difference.
What is COP27?
COP27 is short for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. COP was created to convene participating countries on their collective response measures to mitigate the climate crisis.
During the last COP 27, the Arab Republic of Egypt hosted a meeting that sought to build on past successes and pave the way for future ambition for sustainability. The conference was attended by delegates from all over the world interested in tackling climate change effects through the implementation of stronger policies and continuing what was discussed at COP 26 in Glasgow.
Attendees
The conference was attended by more than 35,000 people from all over the world, including observers and government representatives.
Location
International Convention Centre, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
What Happened During the Last COPs?
The COP26 conference was a stage for various other announcements, initiatives, and decisions by countries acting unilaterally or in groups. One such development is the Glasgow Pact – an agreement marketed as finalising all facets of climate change negotiations but which includes several additional sections not covered before due to procedural disputes among delegates at previous conferences.
The world wrapped up its first five-year ‘pledge, review and ratchet’ cycle with COP26. The goal was to see if updated international commitments would collectively be sufficient enough for limiting global warming by reducing temperature rise to 1.5°C. This is only part of the first step needed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero by around 2050.
What Transpired During COP 27
The eyes of the world were on Egypt this past week as representatives from 196 countries convened for COP 27, the latest in a series of annual conferences meant to check in on the status of the Paris Agreement. The two-week event was marked by impassioned speeches, occasional protests, and a sense of urgency as delegates worked to finalise an ambitious plan to get the world on track to meet its carbon emissions goals. They discussed the status of their transformative adaptation agenda, climate finance participation, and the climate action the world should take to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
The Good News
One of the most positive outcomes of COP 27 was the reaffirmation by world leaders of their commitment to the Paris Agreement. In his opening speech, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called on delegates to work together to “avert the looming crisis” of climate change in civil society and signalled his own country’s intention to do its part by achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This sentiment was echoed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pledged that his country would increase its use of renewable energy and achieve its goal of planting 2 billion trees by 2030.
These are just two examples of the strong commitments made by world leaders at COP 27. Others included a promise by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to make his country carbon-neutral by 2050 and a vow from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to put a price on carbon emissions in an effort to discourage their use. With so many countries vowing to take meaningful action, it’s clear that there’s a growing sense of urgency around the issue of climate change and a genuine desire to see the Paris Agreement succeed.
Here are some of the things that happened during the conference:
Expert Group Report
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced last COP26 in Glasgow that he would appoint an Expert Group to address the “surplus of confusion and deficit” over net-zero targets for nonstate actors like corporations, trade unions, or philanthropic organisations. These parties are interested in sustainability but don’t have a strict adherence to meeting environmental standards because they cannot be held accountable by governments under current law.
The group’s first report is now available following intense work from 17 experts selected by Mr. Guterres himself. Its first report has drawn attention to corporate greenwashing and provided a roadmap toward net zero as pledged by various industries and financial institutions, as well as cities and regions around the world. The report contains scientific and technological advice on environmental integrity, credibility, accountability, and the role of governments to get past the global challenge of achieving net-zero emissions.
Loss and Damage Fund
The United Nations’ COP 27 conference has come to a close, with delegates coming up with an agreement that will help developing countries deal with climate change. After weeks of fraught negotiations, they finally reached an agreement early Sunday morning – one that would help countries in need to pay off their climate change consequences and prevent further damage caused by extreme weather events like hurricanes or floods. Still, questions remain about which countries will provide financing for this historic fund and who can benefit from it.
The United States and Europe reached a deal to create a “loss and damage fund” that will help cover costs from climate impacts and historic emissions. Some leaders expressed disappointment with the outcome of negotiations, saying they were not happy about how far some of them compromised when there is still so much more needed before global warming can be stabilised for good.
Climate TRACE Coalition
The UN Secretary-General has announced that a new inventory of greenhouse gas emissions was just released by the Climate TRACE Coalition. The global climate observing system combines satellite data and artificial intelligence to show where carbon dioxide, methane, or other harmful substances are being released into our atmosphere. It can show facility-level emissions from industrial facilities around the world including companies in the US, China, and India – three of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. This will allow leaders to identify the location and scope of these polluting elements so they can be addressed more effectively than ever before.
Decarbonization Master Plan of Egypt
The COP 27 Egyptian President announced a so-called master plan to accelerate the decarbonization of five major sectors – power, road transport, steel, hydrogen, and agriculture. The initiative is unprecedented in its scope and will be transformative for all parties involved. The Egyptian leadership also revealed the launch of the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation initiative or FAST, to improve and transform agriculture and food systems by 2030.
The Bad News
While there were many reasons to be optimistic about COP 27, there were also plenty of reminders about just how far we have yet to go. One major point of contention was the lack of progress made on updating countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are voluntary plans outlining how each signatory will contribute towards meeting the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement. Many countries had hoped that this year’s conference would result in more ambitious NDCs, but this was not the case for all nations.
Another sticking point was money; specifically, who will foot the bill for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Delegates from developing countries argued that they should not be held responsible for historical emissions while also being expected to shoulder the financial burden of climate change, while developed countries countered that they have provided billions of dollars in climate-related assistance and will continue to do so. This disagreement highlights one of the key challenges facing international climate negotiations moving forward: finding a way for all parties to share both the responsibility and cost of averting catastrophic temperature rise.
Despite some disagreements, delegates at COP 27 made significant progress on several key issues related to data transparency, accounting for carbon removals, and providing support for loss & damage incurred as a result of climate change impacts. Perhaps most importantly, though, was the reaffirmation by world leaders of their commitment to addressing climate change head-on in an effort to meet the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement.
While no one expects people to just transition and live a more sustainable lifestyle, it’s not impossible to gradually do our part to achieve the global climate ambition of net-zero emissions. With global temperatures rising and time running out, it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and make sustainability a priority in our daily lives.
The Bad News
While there were many reasons to be optimistic about COP 27, there were also plenty of reminders about just how far we have yet to go. One major point of contention was the lack of progress made on updating countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are voluntary plans outlining how each signatory will contribute towards meeting the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement. Many countries had hoped that this year’s conference would result in more ambitious NDCs, but this was not the case for all nations.
Another sticking point was money; specifically, who will foot the bill for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Delegates from developing countries argued that they should not be held responsible for historical emissions while also being expected to shoulder the financial burden of climate change, while developed countries countered that they have provided billions of dollars in climate-related assistance and will continue to do so. This disagreement highlights one of the key challenges facing international climate negotiations moving forward: finding a way for all parties to share both the responsibility and cost of averting catastrophic temperature rise.
Despite some disagreements, delegates at COP 27 made significant progress on several key issues related to data transparency, accounting for carbon removals, and providing support for loss & damage incurred as a result of climate change impacts. Perhaps most importantly, though, was the reaffirmation by world leaders of their commitment to addressing climate change head-on in an effort to meet the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement.
While no one expects people to just transition and live a more sustainable lifestyle, it’s not impossible to gradually do our part to achieve the global climate ambition of net-zero emissions. With global temperatures rising and time running out, it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and make sustainability a priority in our daily lives.
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