Post-COP27

A fortnight after the end of COP27, having read many articles, we have returned to this resource to reflect on the outcomes of the COP. Our reading has been the tip of a commentary iceberg (probably just the tip of the tip to be honest). We've followed the pattern of a short prayer, a longer prayer and some Bible passages, but then have strayed from the format of other pages to provide a couple of pertinent quotes, followed by our summaries of the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, and the Sharm el-Sheikh and other initiatives. We finish with some other observations from our reading.

We've also added a post-COP News from the Day section at the end of each of the themed pages on this site, where we've provided links to some daily summaries written by others.

A Short Prayer

Father God, now that COP27 has ended, we hold up to you all the issues surrounding the use of fossil fuels and the urgency in limiting temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. We want to be hopeful but sometimes we despair. We thank you for the agreement to establish a Loss and Damage Fund and we thank you for so many examples of innovative projects to support those most vulnerable to climate change. We pray that you will keep these things on our hearts and prompt us to action.

A Longer Prayer

Elohei Mishpat - God of justice, we give you thanks that our governments have agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund. We ask that its details will be established quickly and that it will be funded generously. We pray that when called on, its funds will be distributed efficiently to those whose need is great.

El Roi- the God who sees, you see the difficulties our governments have in committing to changes that will enable us to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. You know better than we do, the opposing views on reducing our fossil fuel consumption, particularly in our current energy crisis. We pray for wisdom and imagination to find a way thorough this, and a sense of urgency that causes decisive action.

Yahweh-Shammah - the God who is there, we ask that you will be present in all the initiatives that have been launched during COP 27. Be in the collaborations and the financing; be in the planning and the logistics; but most of all be with the people who desperately need these initiatives to work.

Yahweh-Tsidkenu - the Lord of our righteousness, we ask that you keep these things on our hearts and that you prompt us to action and to prayer, including praying now for brave decisions to be made at COP28.

From the Bible

We have chosen passages that speak of justice, the requirement for generosity and the imperative to speak up and out on behalf of others. In contrast to the rest of this site, we have used the Voice translation in the hope that its unfamiliarity (to most) will cause us to pause and think.

Deuteronomy 15: 7-8 (Voice)

If, in one of the towns in the land the Eternal your God is giving you, a fellow Israelite does become poor, don’t ignore him and limit your generosity just because the debt will be forgiven. Open your hand willingly, and generously lend as much as is needed at the time.

Deuteronomy 10: 16-19 (Voice)

Cut away that hard covering around your heart, and do not harden your neck against me, because the Eternal your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great and mighty and amazing God! He doesn’t favour the powerful, and He can’t be bribed. He enforces His justice for the powerless, such as orphans and widows, and He loves foreigners, making sure they have food and clothing. You must love those foreigners living with you in the same way. Remember how you were foreigners in the land of Egypt!

Isaiah 30: 8 (Voice)

Meanwhile, the Eternal One yearns to give you grace and boundless compassion; that’s why He waits. For the Eternal is a God of justice. Those inclined toward Him, waiting for His help, will find happiness.

Hosea 10:12 (Voice)

Plant a crop of righteousness for yourselves, harvest the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your hard soil, because it’s time to seek the Eternal until He comes and waters your fields with justice.

Psalm 82: 3 (Voice)

“Stand up for the poor and the orphan; advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.

Proverbs 31: 8-9 (Voice)

Speak out on behalf of those who have no voice, and defend all those who have been passed over. Open your mouth, judge fairly, and stand up for the rights of the afflicted and the poor.

Quotes

“We have the collective capacity to transform. We are in the country that built pyramids. We know what it is to remove slavery from our civilisation. We know what it is to find a vaccine within two years when a pandemic hits us. We know what it is to put a man on the Moon and now we put a rover on Mars.

“But the simple political will that is necessary, not just to come here and make promises but to deliver on them and to make a definable difference in the lives of the people who we have a responsibility to serve, seems still not to be capable of being produced. I ask us how much more must happen.

“My friends, time is running out on us. And yes, we have the power of choice… I ask us today, what will our choice be? We have the power to act or the power to remain passive and do nothing. I pray that we will leave Egypt with a clear understanding that the things that are facing us today are all interconnected.”

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
(at the opening of the COP27 World Leaders Summit)

"This COP has taken an important step towards justice. I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund and to operationalize it in the coming period. Clearly this will not be enough but it is a much needed political signal to rebuild broken trust.

The voices of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis must be heard. The UN system will support this effort every step of the way. Justice should also mean several other things: finally making good on the long-delayed promise of $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries; clarity and a credible roadmap to double adaptation finance; changing the business models of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions. They must accept more risk and systematically leverage private finance for developing countries at reasonable costs.

"But let’s be clear. Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this COP did not address.”

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN
(at the end of COP27)

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados at the Opening of COP27

Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan

The big focus in news from COP27 has inevitably been on wording of the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan which sets out what the world's governments have committed to do.
The big positive here was the agreement to establish a Loss and Damage Fund, something that developing countries have wanted, and which developed countries have resisted, for a considerable time. The details have still to be worked out, but this is a huge step forward and has been hailed as the start of restoration of trust between the global north and south (read more here).
Less positively, the target to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels appears to be in jeopardy because of weak commitments about the use of fossil fuels. This is of concern, but the issues are not straightforward, not least because of the energy crisis the world is experiencing at the moment and the need for developing countries to lift vulnerable communities out of poverty. A BBC news article highlights some of the dilemmas and divergent views held by players both in the global north and the global south (read more here).
There is a hefty section on climate finance, which does not put the developed nations in a good light. There is still failure to meet the commitment to provide USD 100 billion per year to developing countries, and actually much bigger commitments are now needed if the 1.5°C is to be met (read more here).

Loss and Damage in 2022

Sharm el-Sheikh and Other Initiatives

Outside of the essential business of the COP, the Presidency decides the themes to be addressed (at least we think that's how it happens, but it's remarkably difficult to find information about it). The Presidency may also choose initiatives to launch during the COP.
The initiatives chosen by the COP27 Egyptian Presidency understandably have an African focus and browsing the summaries (a full list here) quickly paints a picture of the challenges faced by the people of that continent:
- the need for just financing;
- the impact of climate change on health;
- the imperative to decarbonise;
- the impact of climate on food and agriculture;
- the interplay of conflict, climate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation;
- the need for full participation in global climate matters;
- the pressing need to adapt to climate impacts;
- the need to address the vulnerability of women and the huge contribution they can make when properly supported;
- the imperative to transition to clean energy;
- the importance of healthy natural ecosystems;
- the need to deal with waste;
- the need for sustainable cities and transport.
COP27 was used by many organisations as a launch pad for new initiatives and pledges, publication of reports and guidelines, the announcement of new collaborations and updates from existing initiatives. A huge amount happened during the fortnight and the list we've compiled, based on articles we browsed, is by no means exhaustive.
The majority are good news stories, although some were not. Together they highlight collaboration and a willingness to engage by many organisations, including industry and business.

Observations

The presence of Brazil’s president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his announcement that "Brazil is back", after four years of anti-environment rhetoric from the out-going administration, is a reminder of how dependent on country politics climate progress can be. In a similar vein, the willingness of the US and China to restart collaborative discussions after a cooling earlier this year is good news for the climate.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's handbook for hosting COPs "How to COP" stresses that observer engagement is of fundamental value to United Nations climate change conferences, highlighting the value of contributions from observer organisations to deliberations on issues. So news articles about high accommodation and flight costs and fears for safety preventing attendance by many youth climate activists and representative of NGOs from the global south were of concern to many people. As was the Egyptian authorities making it clear, on the runup to COP27, that protests would only be permitted in a purpose-built area away from the main conference centre.
In this context, it was therefore encouraging to read in a TearFund email newsletter that "there are many reasons to have hope… Together, indigenous people, young people, women and representatives from organisations such as Tearfund raised our voices. Anecdotally, many felt we displayed greater strength and unity than at previous COPs. One leader in this space said: ‘We’re unstoppable.’ I believe that, now more than ever. "
Given the accepted need to transition our energy sources away from fossil fuels, some people have expressed concern at the number of fossil fuel lobbyists present at COP27 - apparently an increase of more than 25% compared to COP26. Perhaps not an issue in itself, but when lobbysists are reported to significantly outnumber delegations from African countries and Indigenous communities, we would be wise to question whose voice is more easily heard. We note that the host for COP28 is the United Arab Emirates.

Information sources

The following media organisations have collated their COP-related news so that it is readily accessible to readers. Some may require (free) registration to access, but most do not.

edie.net
IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment)
The Guardian
The Independent
The UN Climate Champions

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