The UN climate summit, concluded this Sunday in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh, meant a “victory” for developing countries by getting the first fund to pay for the damage caused by climate change, and also a “disappointment” for those who criticize the lack of ambition and progress to end fossil fuels.
Nearly 200 countries agreed early on Sunday to support an agreement that responded to a historic demand from the countries most vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis: the creation of a fund within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that would help assume the economic cost of the consequences of global warming, a phenomenon to which they have contributed little. It represents a real breakthrough for developing countries.
🇧🇷At the beginning of these conversations, damages were not even on the agenda and now we are making history.”, underlined the director of PowerShift Africa, Mohamed Adow, for whom the approval of the fund “It shows that this UN process can deliver results, and that the world can recognize that the plight of the vulnerable should not be treated as political football.🇧🇷
In the same line, commented the president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), Ani Dasgupta, who described the result as “a historic breakthrough🇧🇷
Developed countries and small island states
Island states, especially involved in the dialogue for developed countries and the biggest historical culprits of the climate crisis to pay for the extreme phenomena that the so-called Global South suffers to a greater extent, applauded the loss and damage fund.
Barbados Prime Minister Avinash Persaud’s special envoy, who described the fund as “a victory for humanity“, valued the”strong leadership of the alliance of small island states” it’s him “surprising degree of solidarity shown by the rest of the world, from the main industrialized developing countries to the developed ones🇧🇷
Lack of ambition to reduce emissions
Although this issue has managed to mark the media agenda in the coverage of COP27 since its inception, the objectives of the summit focused on increasing ambition in plans to mitigate climate change -the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions-, on adaptation and financing, aspects that were left in the background, according to estimates by European Union sources, disappointed with the final agreement.
This body made an express request to countries to progressively abandon the use of fossil fuels, and not just coal, as reflected in the declaration, called Sharm el Sheikh Implementation Plan🇧🇷
🇧🇷Tackling climate change requires all financial flows to support the low carbon transition: the EU came here for strong language and we are disappointed we didn’t get it“, declared the vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, who regretted that since the Glasgow Pact had been lost”high speed” because of the energy crisis that favored the war in Ukraine.
Likewise, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, who highlighted that COP27 gave “a step forward for justice“He emphasized that there is a”Red line“not to be exceeded, referring to the 1.5 degree warming that must not be exceeded by the end of this century, for what it takes”invest massively in renewable energy” and finish the “fossil fuel dependency🇧🇷
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed that what was agreed by COP27 “marks a small step towards climate justice” and also “kept alive the target of 1.5 degrees“, but he lamented: “Unfortunately, it has not fulfilled the commitment of the world’s main emitters to phase out fossil fuels, nor the new climate mitigation commitments. We treat some of the symptoms, but we do not cure the fever patient.🇧🇷
The head of the Community Executive stressed, however, that “the EU will stay the course, in particular through the European Green Deal and REPowerEU“, and remembered that”already the world’s largest contributor to international climate finance🇧🇷
Environmentalists value fund for climate change damage but call for more in mitigation
The environmental organizations -many of them present at the meeting in Sharm el Sheikh to follow the negotiations closely- are also satisfied with the agreement that guarantees a loss and damage fund for the most vulnerable countries affected by the climate crisis, and regretted the lack of of progress in mitigating emissions.
For Friends of the Earth, the creation of this Fund meant a “historic decision” on the main demands of impoverished countries, “despite efforts by the US and other countries to derail it“But it affected the lack of progress on phasing out coal as agreed last year at the Glasgow summit (COP26).
Cristina Alonso, head of climate justice at Friends of the Earth, described it as “relief” the agreement reached after decades, but “At the moment, it’s an empty fund and we have a big challenge ahead of us.” to ensure that countries in the Global North contribute “according to justice and equity🇧🇷
Along the same lines, SEO/BirdLife celebrated that COP27 approved “finally the long awaited damages system” to compensate the most vulnerable for the irreversible damage of climate change, although he regretted that the final agreement reached had to “settle for not backing down🇧🇷
The negotiators had to agree on a minimum deal “don’t let the common goal die“That the planet does not increase its average temperature above 1.5 degrees, they emphasized from SEO, the organization for which this target, defined at COP26 in Glasgow, was about to fall, which would mean”the first setback in the history of climate negotiations🇧🇷
Ecologistas en Acción highlighted that, at this summit, civil society managed to make their demands heard and demanded that countries and organizations “the commission for the design of this fund relies on the participation of the social platforms present in the negotiations🇧🇷
Regarding mitigation, this organization emphasized that the final text “does not include any progress towards the Glasgow COP26“, and described it as “inadmissible” that a year was lost in the fight against the climate emergency, in addition to pointing out that “Adaptation funding is the most overlooked package, where results are stalled and a roadmap cannot be mapped out to duplicate the funding targets agreed in Glasgow🇧🇷
Greenpeace welcomed with “satisfaction” the agreement reached at COP27, although it called to abandon the “fossil power” that blocks climate action, as Alianza-ActionAid, “satisfied” for the decision to create this fund, but at the same time disappointed with the lack of progress in reducing polluting emissions.
Voices from the scientific community in the face of climate change damage fund
In general, the scientific community also considers the new fund positive and that at least the objective of not exceeding 1.5ºC remains, but regrets the lack of commitment and ambition to achieve it.
Year after year, developed countries systematically denied creation of a loss and damage fund🇧🇷 that’s why this is great news🇧🇷 “The question now is practical and one of implementation: that the financial means correspond to the political commitments (bearing in mind that, for now, the financing of climate change has left much to be desired)”Vanesa Castán Broto, professor of Climate Urbanism at the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) and expert of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told SMC Spain.
Some researchers, however, such as Fernando Valladares, from the CSIC and the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, are more critical: “The damages fund represents a very clear example of the failure and hypocrisy that climate summits increasingly represent. COP27 wants to rejoice in having achieved pyrrhic, insufficient and as yet unspecified progress on financial mechanisms to help the most vulnerable countries and help with the damage and harm caused by climate change🇧🇷
🇧🇷In fact, this does nothing more than point out with tremendous cruelty the inability of COP27 to address the origin of the problem of climate change –underlined–, which are nothing more than fossil fuels, which continue to have state subsidies that have not been addressed or questioned, which continue to rely on pressure from 636 oil groups and more companies interested in the oil business. habitual🇧🇷
Speaking to SMC UK, Professor Mark Maslin, professor of Climatology at University College London, summarized four lessons learned from the failures of COP27 for the next COP28, which will be held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) next year. he comes: “First, start negotiations now and work hard over the next 12 months so that all countries are prepared to reach a clear final agreement; second, carry out an open and transparent process so that all countries understand what is being negotiated and trust can be restored🇧🇷
🇧🇷Third –continues–, pressuring key countries to increase their ambition and come up with better commitments so that there is a chance of reaching the 1.5˚C threshold; and fourth, wealthy nations, including high-income countries and emerging economies, must contribute to a transparent and effective fund. Climate justice will have to be at the heart of the COP28 negotiations, as money will have to be put on the table for adaptation, loss and damage and the rapid rise of renewables.🇧🇷