22 November COP27, ANNUAL CLIMATE SUMMIT: A MIXED ASSESSMENT

The COPs or “Conference of the Parties » take place every year under the presidency of the UN and bring together 197 countries have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This international convention was adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit in Brazil with the aim of “stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere”.

This year, COP27 was held from November 6 to November 22 in Sharm El-Sheik in Egypt.

The outcome of this COP is again mixed with on the one hand an agreement that recognizes the damage of global warming but on the other no consensus to stop the cause...

>> A fund for "loss and damage", to deal with the irreversible damage caused by global warming

Climatic disasters are more and more frequent and visible, especially in certain developing countries: drought and famine in Africa, floods in Pakistan, etc.

The UN Secretary therefore requested that a solidarity pact be established between the most polluting northern countries et the countries of the South most affected by global warming and its consequences.

Currently the financial assistance needed for this effort is 5 to 10 times lower than required. The fulfillment of the promise made in 2009 at COP15 to dedicate 100 billion dollars per year by 2020 to fight against global warming and adapt to it has not been met.

During this COP27, a historic agreement was consented to recognize for the first time the principle of financial compensation for the poorest countries. A fund will be created to help them cope financially with the damage they suffer. It now remains to define the contours.

>> No real progress to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and get out of fossil fuels

At present, the objective of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era by the end of this century seems “out of reach”. Indeed, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, CO2 emissions should be reduced by 45% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, to achieve the central objective of the Paris Agreement. However, the revised contributions of the states have so far only made it possible to reduce emissions of 5 to 10% by 2030 (Emission Gap Report October 2022-Unep)

While countries are committed to continuing their efforts, their commitments are not however not ambitious enough given the urgency of the situation. Furthermore no deal was not taken for get out of fossil fuels.

The summits follow one another year after year and unfortunately negotiations do not always translate into concrete actions. Despite everything, these COPs remain a means of talk about the climate and gather around the table the leaders of the many nations concerned et impacted by climate change.