COP27 Recap

COP27 took place in 2022 from November 6 to November 18 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

What are COP’s?

COP stands for “Conference of the Parties,” which is the UN’s global climate summit. Every year since 1995, approximately 200 countries meet to discuss and find solutions to the global effects of climate change.

Over the nearly 30 years since the COPs began, many notable achievements have been made. COP20 was the first time when all countries agreed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the Paris Agreement was approved during COP21, requiring all countries to keep Earth temperatures lower than 1.5 degrees Celsius greater than pre-industrial levels. COP26 was notable in how, although many countries increased progress towards the Paris Agreement, environmental activists such as David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg spoke about the lack of action being made to stop climate change, according to Sustainability For All.

What is COP27?

According to the UN, COP27 aims to make critical efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, acclimate to the consequences of global warming and make commitments to finance change.

Egypt, the host country, has established its vision for what should be achieved at COP27. The goals include increasing progress towards the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal set in the Paris Agreement, placing emphasis on countries more susceptible to the effects of climate change, and finding solutions to natural disasters resulting from global warming. Additionally, Egypt would like to develop systems that could better give monetary aid to developing countries and countries which need to drastically lower their carbon footprint. All the while, COP27 wants to stress the importance of not backsliding on previous agreements, according to the COP27 website.

While many world leaders will be in attendance at COP27, some will be absent, which hinders the progress that can be made. The Prime Minister of the U.K. Rishi Sunak and the President of the EU Ursula Von der Leyen both gave speeches. However, President Joe Biden of the U.S. arrived late, and Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia were not in attendance, per the New York Times.

What issues were addressed at COP27?

COP27 addressed multiple issues, including loss and damage finance. Vulnerable countries seek economic aid for losses and damages suffered from climate change. Although loss and damage finance is a beneficial action, the effects will ultimately not be far-reaching as many developed countries will not spend considerable money to compensate countries heavily affected by climate change.

Additionally, COP27 considered many adaptation-related topics, such as the Global Goal on Adaptation, National Adaptation Plans, adaptation finance, and the Report of the Adaptation Committee. These actions look to assist countries in adapting to the new concerns that climate change brings.

Wealthier countries are expected to donate $100 billion towards limiting and adapting to the effects of climate change. In reality, these countries have not fulfilled their promises, and as a result, negotiations have worsened. In order for climate change to be fully addressed, wealthy countries need to be willing to donate the necessary money and resources, per ReliefWeb.

Article by Nathaniel Seminara