Everything You Need to Know About COP27- UN’s Climate Summit in Egypt
It’s that time of the year again when World leaders are discussing action to tackle climate change.
UN is organizing a climate summit in Egypt wherein world leaders will discuss action to tackle climate change. Known as COP27, this summit is held following a year of broken temperature records and climate-related disasters.
What is COP27?
UN Climate Summits are organized each year. At these events, different countries’ governments agree on steps to help limit temperature increases that occur worldwide. These summits are often referred to as COPs. It is an abbreviation for Conference of the Parties wherein the parties are attending countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in the year 1992.
COP27 is the event’s name this year as it’s the 27th annual UN meeting on climate. It will be organized in Sharm el-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November 2022.
Why are UN Climate Summits Essential?
Such summits are essential because the planet is becoming warmer due to emissions produced by humans. Mostly, it is done by burning fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. According to the UN’s climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global temperatures have risen 1.1C and are heading towards 1.5C.
If the temperatures increase 1.7 to 1.8C above 1850s levels, the IPCC says that half the world’s population might be exposed to life-threatening heat and humidity. To prevent this, 194 nations signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. At that time, they pledged to “pursue efforts” to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.
Who Will Attend COP27?
Over 200 governments have been invited to attend the event. Though UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak first denied that he would attend, he later changed his mind and will be attending it. King Charles will not attend, following government advice. Vladimir Putin is also not due to go. Countries like China are yet to confirm whether their leaders will attend.
The host, Egypt, has urged countries to put their differences aside and “show leadership” on the delicate issue of climate change. In addition to global leaders, environmental charities, think tanks, businesses, community groups, and faith groups will also participate in the event.
Why is Egypt Hosting COP27?
Egypt is preferred as the host for the event as IPCC believes that Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet. There have been severe impacts of climate change on the continent. About 20 million people are estimated to be facing food insecurity in east Africa because of drought.
Points of Discussion at COP27
COP27 will focus on three core areas:
1. Reducing emissions
2. Securing technical support and funding for developing countries
3. Helping countries to deal with climate change
Some areas yet to be completely resolved at COP26 might also be highlighted. These include:
- Gathering the money to help countries to recover from climate change effects
- Establishing a global carbon market to price the effects of emissions into products and services globally
- Strengthening the commitments to reduce coal use
- Other themes might include biodiversity, agriculture, and gender
Why Should You Care About COP27?
COPs are very important as they can help the planet battle climate change. The effects of climate change impact each one of us. From rising heat levels to increased emissions, everything matters.
Unfortunately, COPs are also agonizingly slow. Most of the action happens between negotiators behind closed doors while the civil society waits outside. Greta Thunberg has also stated that she won’t be going and highlighted that space for civil society at this COP was very limited. However, she did call the event “an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention, using many different kinds of greenwashing.”
Greta was somewhat right, as polluting sponsors and influence are common at COP. Coca-Cola- easily the worst plastic polluter in the world is a sponsor at the event. So, it puts a question mark on the efficacy of the proceedings.
Regarding the event, Rachel Cleetus, a policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, “Regardless of who is at COP, the onus is firmly on world leaders, especially from richer countries, to deliver a successful outcome at COP27. Overall, whether certain individuals are there in person or not, anyone who cares about the future of our planet and cares about future generations should simply be pushing for these annual negotiations to deliver ambitious outcomes in line with the latest science and that centre equity and justice for those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. It’s also vital for climate activists from the Global South, like Vanessa Nakate and Elizabeth Wathuti, to be at COP27 and have their voices elevated and amplified. They are representing communities in Africa facing dire climate impacts and calling for the solutions they need and deserve.”
Share this on social media
