egypt climate summit
The most vulnerable manage to include a new item on the negotiating agenda on economic compensation for damages
Africa emits only 3.8% of the world’s total greenhouse gases (GHG), but it is the region of the world where more countries suffer the worst consequences of these causing climate change.
Land made unavailable for cultivation by a climate that moves between extremes, from torrential rains to prolonged periods of drought, famine, migration caused by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, food insecurity, loss infrastructure…
And they have to face all this with hardly any economic resources or more capacity to borrow. In total, it is estimated that the climate crisis has destroyed a fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of these countries.
Faced with this situation, the most affected developing countries have pressed for the Egyptian climate summit (COP27) to expand the agenda of points to be negotiated and include a new one that talks about how to financially compensate for the losses and damages suffered. for these vulnerable regions.
And they have succeeded. Yesterday, the president-elector of COP 27, Sameh Shoukry, announced the “historic” start of the summit as the financing of loss and damage was “officially included on the agenda.”
This point had never been on the official agenda, although it was on the informal talks. In fact, it was already revealed at the previous summit in Glasgow and was the focus of one of the most intense debates, or at least the one that caused the most misunderstandings. So much so that it was rejected. Now that the meeting of the leaders was held in Africa, this claim was gaining greater notoriety and was emerging as one of Egypt’s priorities.
Finally, before the opening of the negotiations throughout Monday, the agenda will be approved that will reflect, now like this, this previously pending point.
Who and how plagues the broken dishes
At the epicenter of the discussion from now on will be the formula to mobilize sufficient resources quickly for the countries that are most affected by climatic catastrophes.
Sources from the Climate Change Office of the Ministry of Ecological Transition explained in this regard that the aid can materialize in a new fund created ‘ad hoc’ for this damage compensation or out of others (green funds, etc.) that already exist.
What the affected countries are demanding are “financial facilities” to deal with the damages and losses, but until now no proposals had been seen. Now that this point will be put on the table, it is expected that specific mechanisms will be considered.
The European Union and Spain support the initiative. Also, most countries are in a positive position, but the extent to which the implications of recognizing this obligation to compensate reach can complicate the materialization of this point.
More information about COP27 in Anthropía
Regardless of the position of the governments, in recent days there have been many groups that have demanded measures in pursuit of ‘climate justice’. A few days ago, the scientific community published an editorial in unison in which they called for this paradigm shift in the way of dealing with the problem. Not because of a moral issue, the letter pointed out, but out of self-interest. “The crisis in Africa will spread sooner rather than later,” they warned.
The WHO itself warned yesterday that alerts for outbreaks of infectious diseases and other health events in the Horn of Africa are at their highest level since 2000.
Humanitarian organizations such as Ayuda en Acción have also openly supported the approval of compensation mechanisms at this COP27 in view of the situation experienced by some regions of the African continent, among others. “We are committed to a financing system in which the emitters and large historical polluters compensate the poorest for the damage caused,” they claim.
International involvement in financing
This controversy connects with the other issue that will focus much of the political discussions throughout the summit; that is, globally reformulate financing to achieve effective adaptation to the effects of climate change that is already underway.
In addition to seeking new formulas, it is also expected that the commitment to provide the fight against climate change with the 100 billion previously agreed upon will be fulfilled.
Lastly, it is expected that it will be agreed to review the GHG emission targets to curb global warming, the other major goal of the summit. The scientific community has assumed, as the IPCC warned in its February panel, that with the gas reduction commitments acquired in Paris it would not be possible to stop the increase in temperatures to 1.5º, so it urged to be more ambitious and to rethink the deadlines in the commitments on emissions.
After two weeks of meetings and technical roundtables, it will be seen to what extent the global context of crisis gives room for the leaders to accept a new roadmap in this regard.
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