As the second most attended COP to date, over 30,000 attendees and delegations from almost 200 countries were in attendance to discuss mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, and collective action to try to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees alive.

Carissa Patrone

Yusuf

As the sun rose on Sunday in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, the <a href="https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2022_L21_revised_adv.pdf">first draft of COP27</a> was finalized. The document includes both historic breakthroughs and a concerning lack of strengthened commitments. While women, youth, and Indigenous leaders were once again notably underrepresented in negotiations, as you can see in the “family photo” below, their voices and knowledge were heard throughout the pavilions.
<img src="https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/articlebody/c547af951af3c6fa38367731a26aebde81ba63f6.png" alt="UNFCCC photo of heads of state at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, November 7, 2022. Source: UN Climate Change">
As the <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-which-countries-have-sent-the-most-delegates-to-cop27/">second most attended COP</a> to date, over 30,000 attendees and delegations from almost 200 countries were in attendance to discuss mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, and collective action to try to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees alive. Every fraction of a degree matters – especially for those most impacted by climate change and who have contributed the least to the problem.
The biggest news to come out of COP27: after thirty years of persistent advocacy from activists on the frontlines of climate change, a first small, yet symbolic, step was taken to address climate injustice.
Countries agreed to create a fund for addressing loss and damage (both economic and non-economic losses) for those most impacted by climate change. While this news was celebrated, the details are yet to be formulated. The hope is that this new mechanism will be rightfully and fully funded by those who have emitted the most greenhouse gases and who have caused the most harm — unlike unfulfilled promises of the <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/finance-and-investment/aggregate-trends-of-climate-finance-provided-and-mobilised-by-developed-countries-in-2013-2020_d28f963c-en">$100B annual pledge</a> to provide climate finance for low- and middle-income countries or the fact that only <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/small-share-of-land-rights-pledge-went-to-indigenous-groups-progress-report/">7% of the funding from the $1.7B pledge</a> to support Indigenous and community forest tenure has actually gone to Indigenous or local organizations.
In other positive news, 50 more countries signed on to the <a href="https://www.state.gov/global-methane-pledge-from-moment-to-momentum/">Global Methane Pledge</a> since last year’s COP in Glasgow. This means nearly 150 countries worldwide have a shared goal to cut methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels. Tackling methane is crucial to reducing shorter term, super-potent emissions and keeping global climate goals within reach.
<img src="https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/articlebody/01564f31e47b5f8115cbef3f1e7a0aa833db656a.png" alt="African Pavilion at COP27. Photo by: Carissa Patrone Maikuri">
Local knowledge and action were also emphasized throughout negotiations and at various pavilions.
African-led initiatives like the<a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/cop27-african-and-global-partners-launch-multi-billion-alliance-green-infrastructure-56403"> Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA)</a> – launched at COP27 – or the <a href="https://nnn.ng/tag/african-multi-hazard-early-warning-and-action-system-amhewas/">African Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Action System (AMHEWAS)</a> show how locally-led programs can better support people through disaster risk reduction, strengthen resilience, and accelerate finance for green infrastructure.
The <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/early-warnings-all-action-plan-unveiled-cop27">Executive Action Plan for the Early Warnings for All</a> initiative also aspires to assist with preparedness and responses to extreme and dangerous weather with more funding. As the human and economic impacts of recent flooding in Pakistan and Nigeria due to inadequate warning systems shows, this initiative will be crucial to protect human lives — especially for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. As António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General stated, &quot;Three times more people are displaced by climate disasters than war. Half of humanity is already in the danger zone”.
In other news, the <a href="https://www.state.gov/first-movers-coalition-announces-expansion/">First Movers Coalition</a> – launched by President Biden in 2021 as a public-private initiative to accelerate innovation in hard-to-abate sectors including industry and transportation – has more than doubled its membership, announced a new <a href="https://www.state.gov/first-movers-coalition-announces-expansion/">cement and concrete initiative</a>, and pledged to purchase at least 10% near-zero carbon cement and concrete by 2030.
Delegations also responded positively to a <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/11/cop27-un-climate-barbados-mottley-climate-finance-imf/">set of initiatives</a> proposed by Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, that focuses on transforming global financial institutions — primarily the IMF, World Bank, and other development banks — to take greater financial risks and lend money to developing countries at much lower rates. Such an approach could unlock up to $1 trillion in capital; which is needed to fund low-carbon development and build climate resilience in emerging economies.
Although parties involved in high-level negotiations reaffirmed the goal of keeping global temperatures to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the conference fell short on renewed commitments to reduce emissions dramatically. Current commitments still won’t limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C as stated in the Paris Agreement. Only <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129892">24/193 countries</a> had updated their nationally-determined contributions prior to COP27.
During the <a href="https://ukcop26.org/cop26-president-closing-remarks-at-cop27/">final remarks at COP27</a>, Alok Sharma, former UK cabinet minister and COP26 president, emphasized the concern for the absence of language around emissions peaking before 2025 and a clear commitment to phase out all fossil fuels. The COP27 text reflects the urgent need for a just energy transition through enhanced partnership from multiple stakeholders, but also expresses concern for a lack of enhanced commitments and action on countries’ nationally determined contributions and gap between levels of adaptation and levels needed to respond to the adverse effects of climate change. Although there were <a href="https://www.adaptation-fund.org/adaptation-fund-receives-over-us-230-million-mobilized-in-2022-for-the-most-climate-vulnerable-at-cop27-in-egypt/">$230 million in enhanced pledges</a> for the Adaptation Fund, the amount available is miniscule compared to the scale of what is necessary to advance locally-led adaptation.
Overall, while COPs are an important part of collective action to reach our global climate goals, all stakeholders — policymakers, leaders, local communities, businesses, and funders — must move beyond words to action. As <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0egwAfO0w">Mia Mottley</a> directly stated, “This world looks still—too much like it did when it was a part of an imperialistic empire.”
Now that COP27 is over, the hard work toward implementation, stronger commitments, and action continues. Specifically, high-emitting countries must dramatically reduce emissions and transition to clean energy, and leaders, organizations, and community members must engage in authentic and intentional collaboration to advance partnerships and fulfill their commitments to protect the most climate vulnerable communities. We must work together because, as Mottley has said, “We have the collective capacity to transform.”
Illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability &amp; Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

COP27: Balancing historic decisions and alarming shortcomings

Rich nations should demonstrate their commitment to human rights, climate justice, and social equity with loss and damage funding.

As Florida reels from the projected <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hurricane-ian-damage-death-toll-latest-snapshot-florida-impact-2022-10-03/">$60 billion</a> losses and hundreds of deaths caused by Hurricane Ian – the costliest and one of the deadliest in the state’s history — it is worth remembering this represents less than 1% of the United States’ GDP.
In comparison, the recent catastrophic floods in Pakistan have not only resulted in thousands of deaths, but have left behind damages exceeding 15% of its GDP – roughly $40 billion in full.
Moreover, this disaster has devastated Pakistan’s largest employment sector – agriculture – which will cause reverberations throughout livelihoods, health, and economic opportunities, for years to come.
The scales of climate loss and damage are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-022-03387-y">heavily weighted</a> against the most vulnerable low-emitting economies, with an ever-growing disparity between the proportionate cost of climate change to high- versus low-income countries.
In the interests of climate justice, this year’s COP27 negotiations must settle the accounts and end the inequity of leaving those least responsible for climate change to pay the highest price.
For instance, <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/wp-content/uploads/Pakistan-floods-scientific-report.pdf">studies</a> show that the hand of climate change in Pakistan’s floods is undeniable, yet Pakistan has barely contributed to the current climate crisis – emitting just <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cumulative-co2-emissions-region?tab=table&amp;time=1850..latest">0.5%</a> of global greenhouse gas emissions between 1850 and 2020.
Elsewhere, African countries are estimated to lose up to <a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/africa-loses-15-its-gdp-capita-annually-because-climate-change-african-development-bank-acting-chief-economist-kevin-urama-54660">15%</a> of their GDP annually due to the impact of climate change, despite historically contributing less than <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/research/global-reports/africa-report">3%</a> of global emissions.
And small island nations, whose emissions contributions are negligible, are nonetheless facing an existential threat as the worsening climate crisis and rising sea level is destroying their lands, livelihoods, and culture.
High-income countries, and China, which are responsible for more than <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519620301960">80%</a> of excess global carbon emissions, have the finances, resources, and responsibility to reverse this trend.
Yet, despite the push-back from several high-income countries, leaders must realize that failing to make these amends means the world’s most vulnerable nations will remain trapped in a perpetual cycle of constant climate-magnified disasters and recovery, unable to keep pace with global progress or even afford to meet their own climate goals.
That’s why climate negotiators at COP27 must fundamentally agree on funding for loss and damage.
Loss and damage finance has already been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTz6pyeNJ1k">highlighted</a> as a critical measure of success for the summit, and by supporting this funding, high-income countries can also demonstrate their commitments to human rights, climate justice, and social equity.
Denmark’s move to become the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/09/20/denmark-climate-change-un-general-assembly/">first country</a> to pay for climate-related loss and damage is a model that should be replicated across other wealthy nations. As a first mover, Danish delegates should seize the chance at COP27 to make the case for others to join their mission to balance the climate books.
To have a chance of coping with future climate disasters and extremes, low-income countries face annual adaptation costs of up to <a href="https://www.drawdown.org/download-drawdown-lifts-climate-poverty-connections-report?tca=XsVSmeBV-p6pVJYdkOe1C2PYrhookUpQNHUvIsTbFOI">$330 billion</a> by 2030. Yet these costs will never be met if countries are perpetually picking up the bill of the last ruinous climate disaster.
Secondly, instead of rebranding or siphoning funds from existing, underfunded climate mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, new mechanisms need to be developed which allow polluting countries to compensate climate vulnerable countries directly and effectively.
For example, a new loss and damage fund needs to be created that allows immediate access to capital following disasters which exceed a certain threshold – for instance, when losses exceed 5% of the country’s GDP.
Finally, countries must also act to re-work existing climate finance and insurance systems, which have too often failed low-income countries most exposed to climate damages.
Insurance has been proposed as an alternative to loss and damage funding by some high-income countries but is not a substitute for direct compensation.
Any insurance mechanism developed specifically for addressing the loss and damage incurred by climate change must fundamentally be designed to benefit the insured, and not the wealthy insurer.
This year has shown – yet again – that loss and damage due to climate change is no longer a hypothetical scenario anywhere in the world, but is a lived reality for millions.
Although nations agreed at Paris in 2015 to limit global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees Celsius and pledged $100 billion in climate mitigation and adaptation every year for developing nations, these commitments have yet to be fulfilled.
And without proper climate compensation, there can be no true climate justice.
Ultimately, talk alone is cheap, and the world’s most developed and high-emitting economies must now prove the worth of their words at COP27 through funding for loss and damage, and meeting their existing pledges on mitigation and adaptation.
They have a responsibility and a duty to end this injustice by ensuring low- and middle-income countries can recover quickly, building greater resilience for future disasters.
After all, it is a false economy to allow the most vulnerable, low-income countries to continue picking up the climate tab.
This article is also published by <a href="https://www.context.news/climate-justice/opinion/its-time-for-climate-compensation-at-cop27">Context</a>. Illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability &amp; Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

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