Countries adopted a hard-fought final deal Sunday at the COP27 climate summit and sets up a fund to help poorer countries hit by climate disasters, but fails to step up efforts to tackle the emissions that cause them.
After tense overnight negotiations, Egypt’s COP27 presidency released the final text of an agreement while simultaneously convening a plenary session to swiftly confirm it.
The swift approval of the dedicated damages fund still leaves many of the most contentious decisions about it for next year, including who should contribute to it.
The negotiators voiced no objections and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry discussed the final agenda items. And when dawn broke at the summit site in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh this Sunday, the deal was done.
While there was no agreement on tougher cuts in pollutant emissions, “we went with what was in the deal because we want to be on the side of the most vulnerable,” said Germany’s climate secretary, Jennifer Morgan, visibly irritated. .
Delegates praised the progress of the fund’s organization like Climate Justice, for its purpose of helping vulnerable countries cope with storms, floods and other disasters fueled by historic carbon emissions from wealthy nations.
Asked by Reuters whether the goal of stronger ambition to tackle the climate was being compromised in the name of the deal, Mexico’s top negotiator Camila Zepeda summed up the situation among the negotiators.
“Probably. You win when you get it.”
FOSSIL FUELS
The two-week summit was seen as proof of humanity’s determination to tackle climate change, even as a war in Europe, energy market problems and rising inflation divert international attention.
Dubbed the “African COP”, the summit in Egypt promised to highlight the plight of poor countries facing the worst consequences of global warming, caused mainly by rich and industrialized nations.
The US also backed the damages provision, but its climate envoy John Kerry missed the session after testing positive for Covid-19 this week.
Negotiators from the European Union and elsewhere had previously said they were concerned about attempts to block measures to strengthen last year’s Glasgow climate pact.
“It is beyond frustrating to see delayed mitigation measures and fossil fuel phase-outs stalled by several major oil emitters and producers,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement.
In line with previous positions, the approved agreement does not contain a reference requested by India and some other delegations for the phasing out of “all fossil fuels”.
Rather, it requires countries to take steps towards “the progressive reduction of raw coal energy and the elimination of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies,” as agreed at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
“Too many parties are not ready to make further progress today in tackling the climate crisis,” said EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans, describing the deal as “an insufficient step for people and the planet”.
The text also includes a reference to “low-carbon energy,” prompting concern from some that it could open the door to the growth in the use of natural gas – a fossil fuel that leads to carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
“It doesn’t break completely with Glasgow, but it doesn’t increase ambition in any way,” Norwegian climate minister Espen Barth Eide told reporters.
Small island countries, faced with climate-driven sea level rise, pushed for a loss-and-damage deal, but complained a lack of ambition to curb emissions.
“I recognize the progress we made at COP27” in terms of setting up the fund, Maldives Climate Minister Aminath Shauna told the plenary. But “we have failed at mitigation… We need to make sure we raise our ambition to peak emissions by 2025. We need to phase out fossil fuels.”
The Marshall Islands correspondent said she was “tired” but happy with the approval of the fund.
“So many people this week told us we weren’t going to make it. So I’m glad they were wrong,” said Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner. However, “I wish we had achieved the phasing out of fossil fuels. The current text is not enough.”
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
