Despite longstanding objections from the US and the UK, negotiators for the first time have agreed to include loss and damage funding on the official agenda here at COP27 on the first day of the climate talks.
As the UNFCCC meeting began today in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt, countries from the global north faced intense pressure from the south to commit to funding not only for adaptation and mitigation but for irreparable damages already endured as a result of climate change.
The New York Times reports: “That’s a win for a bloc of poor countries and emerging economies, backed by China, that say they have lost money, land, livelihoods and human lives because of climate hazards disproportionately caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of rich, industrialized countries.”
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“chronicle of climate chaos”
At the opening of the conference, Egyptian Foreign Minister and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry urged leaders to put aside concerns about food and energy challenges associated with the Russia-Ukraine war to address climate change during the COP.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the conference via video, referring to the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization of the UN which noted that global temperatures have already risen by 1.15 degrees C . Guterres referred to the report as a “chronicle of climate chaos.”
COP27 officially kicks off Monday and Tuesday when world leaders attend the Leaders Summit, each speaking for five minutes about their hopes for the conference. Negotiations begin following the Leaders Summit.
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From a NYT Op ED:
… perhaps the most urgent goal for COP27 is to reckon with the lunacy of continued fossil fuel expansion. The International Energy Agency and other researchers have concluded that no new oil and gas development can take place if we hope to meet the 1.5-degree target. Meanwhile, several major coal producers are planning on continuing or increasing production, and most major oil and gas producing countries are on track to increase production through 2030 or beyond. In fact, energy plans indicate that governments around the world are planning for more than twice the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be compatible with the Paris agreement.
