COP27: disappointment over agreements reached
The results achieved at the COP27 conference which concluded a couple of months ago in Sharm-el-Sheikh, failed to match expectations. While the target of limiting increases in global temperatures to 1.5°C could, in theory, have been met, the reality of current global emission figures would seem to indicate the exact opposite.
The twenty-seventh United Nations conference on climate produced widespread disquiet and concern and very few positive points. Although it would be unfair to call this year’s event a total failure, the consequences of decisions taken in the past will definitely need to undergo a detailed review by delegates at future conferences.
Important guests and heated debate at COP27
Consultations at COP27 went on for entire weeks, sometimes over-running the planned schedule by several days. In general, they are concluded by Friday, but this year, the allotted time was extended to give all countries who wanted to take part in the discussions a chance to express their opinions.
Among returning speakers taking the congress stage was the US. Brazil put its country forward as a candidate to host COP in the year 2025. Holding the event in Amazonia would reflect the undeniable importance of preserving the world’s largest green ‘lung’, an area essential if our planet to breathe.
However, the positive aspects of the meeting seem to be limited to those mentioned above, as the rest of the time was devoted to a series of heated discussions, involving many developing countries, who questioned the restrictions imposed as part of the drive towards decarbonisation, demanding, in some cases the activation of the so-called Loss and Damage Fund.
Controversies surrounding Loss and Damage
The central theme of COP27 was the so-called Loss and Damage: a fund set up to reimburse developing countries who have been the victim of natural disasters linked to climate change. First created at COP19 in 2013, this mechanism has still not been funded and is therefore unavailable.
After several years of prevarication, at the last conference in Egypt, some countries asked that instead of considering this spending a reimbursement, it be considered humanitarian aid.
While some proposed transforming it into a kind of insurance, others positioned themelves on the opposite side of the argument from developing countries, stating to be a developing country with no obligation to finance Loss and Damage.
A break in hostilities was finally achieved thanks to an agreement stating that the fund will become provisionally operational from COP28, to be held in the Arab Emirates and the conference reserves the right to set out its strategy to source the necessary funding to support it, which will be discussed during consultations at the next conference.
There was also a lot of concern over the objective of keeping temperature increases below 1.5° C. Most experts have in fact stated that it will be extremely difficult to avoid exceeding the critical level of 2° C and the consequences will be catastrophic for the entire planet.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
