Climate, an agreement to compensate for the damages of the crisis arrives at Cop27

There third is the role of the European Union, who with European Commission Vice-President on the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, broke the deadlock on Friday. Take it or leave it, he said, referring to the damages and losses compensation fund. From that moment, the dominoes that led to the conclusion began.

But it was also a COP27 of lobbyists: it was that of fossil sources the largest delegation arrived in South Sinai. Heads of state and government have landed in Egypt to find an alternative to Russian gas. In many cases they have been successful, making deals worth hundreds of millions to secure African fields. With all due respect to the climate. Finally, it was the Cop of the missing human rights. Activists monitored, threatened; an app designed to spy; the constant feeling of not being able to express yourself.

Cop27 is becoming an oppressive Big Brother

The official app of the climate conference puts the cybersecurity of those who use it at risk. Activists, delegates and journalists feel spied on. And the Egyptian regime is not hiding its authoritarian methods. An oppressive atmosphere undermines the success of the negotiations

Loss and damage

As mentioned, the provision for losses and damages will be made, but they are postpone discussions about who pays and who receives. We talk about assist developing countriesmore vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change”. It was decided to establish atransitional committee“, a commission to be established within the next COP to decide criteria and modalities. Attention: if the need for the fund is undeniable, the priority of whoever puts the money is to make sure the money reaches its destination and do not end up with the often corrupt elites of developing countries. At present, there are no verification mechanisms, which, moreover, are not appreciated by local governments. This theme, beyond the do-good narratives, will be fundamental in the coming years: because justifying the sending of money to national public opinion may not be easy.

Fossil sources

We are essentially stuck with the Glasgow text. It was probably not the right year (and place) to raise ambition, con many governments came to Egypt to find alternatives to Russian gas. Many agreements were signed in this sense, especially in the first week. The reflections can be seen in the final text, where there is talk of accelerating the transition towards “low-emission” energy systems (and this includes gas). The pledge is to reduce coal”not shot down (unused) and to abandon (phase out) inefficient subsidies to fossil fuels”.

Having complete and transparent data on emissions is proving more difficult than expected

They are needed by all states to achieve the Paris agreements and must be available from 2024, but progress is slow. At the COP27 climate conference kicking off in Egypt, the issue will remain out of the negotiation but everyone’s commitment is needed to make progress

climate finance

“Discussion of this has been extremely poor – says Chiara Martinelli, director of the European branch of Climate Action Network, the main network of civil society organizations -. Few reassurances on the increase in climate finance”. The positive note of this conference is the calling on multilateral banks to change their business models: there was talk of new instruments, but also of interest rates, which are much higher for developing countries. It is recognized that 4 trillion a year are needed in renewables between now and 2030, but that a global transformation of the economy towards a low-emissions system requires an additional 4-6, always every year. Meanwhile, it is acknowledged with concern that countries have once again failed in the achieve the goal of $100 billion in climate financea goal originally set for 2020. The road is long.

Early warnings

Also pay attention to early warning systemswhich allow countries to react quickly to extreme events: a third of the world, including 60% of Africa, does not have access to this type of technology and information.

Adaptation

Few steps forward. We note the discrepancy between scientific knowledge and the state of adaptation of countries, and we do not go much further. But a COP that clarified that climate change is an indisputable reality gives hope that the discussion is open. And that the conflict with mitigation is a thing of the past.

Lula’s manifesto at Cop27: will it be enough to save the climate?

The president of Brazil arrives in Egypt for the first outing after the election. Between tears and stadium chants, the scene belongs entirely to him, with the offer to organize the 2025 COP in the Amazon. But the home front is still boiling hot

The reactions

Disappointed Timmermans: “Even today too many countries they are not ready to make progress in the fight against the climate crisis. There have been too many attempts to go back on what we agreed in Glasgow. The agreement [sul taglio delle emissioni, ndr] is not enough”. In reality, the politician can be satisfied: he has played a decisive role, and in a few days, with the lights off and a few hours of sleep, it will be much clearer.

Climate Action Network defines the agreementpositive”. With some distinctions. “This particularly challenging Cop adds a chunk of hope, especially for the most vulnerable, with the deal on the bottom loss and damage – says Martinelli -. But there has been too little progress on the long to-do list to address the greatest challenge of our times, climate change. Europe must continue to raise ambition on reducing emissions“. “Cop27 wonders with an important result for international trust and solidarity, but insufficient to adequately address the primary cause of climate change – says Luca Bergamaschi, director of the think tank Ecco, which deals with the climate -. Alternatives to fossil fuels are already widely available, but they lack the will and the political priority for their application”. A role “foreground” was played from Brussels, the signal that “Europe is serious” adds Annalisa Perteghella, from Ecco.