Much more is needed for the planet

COP27 - REPAIRING CLIMATE DAMAGE

Irene Abra, European Methodist Youth Climate Ambassador, gives her reflections on the outcomes of COP27…

On 20 November, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, ended following numerous interruptions and postponements of the plenary, which was held at 3.00 a.m. (Egyptian time).

Photo credit: A. Hillert/LWF

One of the wins of this COP is the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund, an important turning point, putting the issue on the official agenda for the first time.

For almost three decades, developing countries have been asking for financial assistance for loss and damage, i.e. to rescue and rebuild physical and social infrastructure devastated by extreme weather events. The agreement on a fund is a milestone, but it must now be established and financed, and there is still no agreement on how and where the money will come from. What is known is that it will have to be in place by COP28 with the support of a Transitional Committee composed of a majority (14 out of 24) of members from the countries of the Global South. The Committee will be tasked with setting up the work to create a taxonomy of compensate-able losses and damages.

A third pillar is thus added to the Paris Agreement, in addition to mitigation and adaptation, and among the 'challenges' resulting from loss and damage to be responded to collectively, is migration.

Among the highlights of Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, which has the mandate to implement the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, is climate finance, one of the goals that unfortunately has not been achieved, although the COP recognises the need for a transformation of the global financial system, addressing in particular the international financial institutions called to "reform their practices and priorities."

As for national commitments (NDCs), despite this being a COP for implementation, only 33 countries out of nearly 200 submitted updates to their NDCs.

Picking up on the Paris Accords, COP27 kept the 1.5° C target alive, but unfortunately did not lead to commitments by the world's major emitters to phase out fossil fuels, nor to new commitments on climate mitigation.

The final document also talked about the inclusion of young people, who had a dedicated pavilion at this COP, and a great deal of work was done by the first youth delegate of the COP presidency, a new figure so far, Omnia el Omrani. This was a big step towards intergenerational dialogue, which, by the way, is one of the pillars of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC as a whole.

In addition to the young people from the UN youth constituency, it is important to highlight the presence of several activists from Climate Yes (Climate Youth Ecumenical Summit, a worldwide movement born in the wake of COP27, with the aim of providing global solutions starting from local realities), belonging to various organisations such as Green Anglicans, World Lutheran Federation, Christian Aid, Tearfund, All Africa Conference of Churches and Act Alliance, who have done an enormous amount of work in Egypt, as well as different religious denominations, especially in stimulating and promoting the spirit of advocacy and reflection in the fight for climate justice.

Photo credit: A. Hillert/LWF

On 11 November, Climate Yes hosted an event on 'intergenerational dialogue', which is necessary in the allocation of financial resources to ensure transparency and accountability.

As the European Youth Climate Team, in recent weeks we have prepared resources, prayers and actions, to be taken during COP and beyond, and the guide “How to Save the Planet”, with tips and suggestions on how to address climate change in churches will be made available to churches in early 2023..

In conclusion, COP27 marks a small step towards climate justice, but much more is needed for the planet. Certainly the creation of the loss and damage fund lays the foundation for a new method of solidarity between those in need and those in a position to help.

The final decision of COP27 is not the most satisfying and at times appears very generalist and not at all ambitious, time is running and this COP fails to deliver a plan to reduce emissions and climate finance.