- Civil society is “flooding” the negotiating space to demand a loss and damage mechanism that, despite being called for by much of the international community, remains unfulfilled.
- The process of global review of countries’ commitments is coming to its first conclusion while the mitigation workplan remains deadlocked.
- In the interventions of the plenary sessions, the divide between the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases and those already suffering the consequences of the climate emergency is once again clear.
- On a global level, today, Saturday 12 November, civil society will take to the streets to demand climate and energy justice.
The COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) is nearing the end of its first week. These days there have been many statements from world leaders who have recognized that the planet is already severely affected by the climate catastrophe. However, discussions seem stuck in the same spot they couldn’t get out of in Glasgow.
One of the issues most demanded by civil society and most discussed at this climate summit is the loss and damage mechanism, which would consist of creating a fund for countries in the Global South to deal with economic losses (e.g. as land or housing) as well as non-economic (under other cultural, knowledge or biodiversity losses). The effects of climate change are already being seen in all parts of the world, whether in the major floods – like in Pakistan this summer – or the severe droughts that are ravaging the African continent.
In this sense, the countries of the Global South have been demanding such financing for years. Ecologists in Action emphasizes that “Solidarity with the countries most affected by climate change is to take on the historic responsibility that countries in the Global North have for burning fossil fuels and seek reparations from countries take care of those who suffer the most from the consequences”.
There are also significant differences between countries in terms of the timetable for implementing such funds. Some, like the Coalition of Small Islands and States, claim to emerge from this summit with a roadmap and a defined plan for implementing that aid in 2024. But the countries that historically are most responsible for emissions (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or the EU) are trying to delay that start.
Instead, they suggest starting implementation of this mechanism much later, citing the need to dig deeper into the technical discussions that have been deadlocked for more than 27 years. Ecologists in Action joins civil society organizations, indigenous, gender and youth platforms, and those in the most vulnerable countries, in demanding that this funding for loss and damage is sufficient and in addition to funding already in place for mitigation, adaptation and other global Financing takes place in commitments such as development cooperation. A work on loss and damage that needs to be reinforced by the obligation to submit biennial reports assessing needs and funding in this area.
Civil society in Sharm el-Sheikh has spoken out on the issue with an action that alludes to the massive flooding afflicting countries in the Global South. Their call includes a funding mechanism aligned with the principles of rights and climate justice that is fast and accessible, with direct payments to climate refugees and frontline affected communities.
On the other hand, the countries of the Global North have come to this COP27 with an unfulfilled promise on adaptation issues: the fund of $100,000 million per year to meet their financial commitments to the South. The last summit in Glasgow was the year in which most of the revenue was raised, and yet only 83 billion was raised, an insufficient figure which increases suspicion about the fulfillment of the agreed promises. It is therefore important that the financial arrangements are included and detailed in the final decision of the COP27. Nevertheless, it has become clear that these pledges do not meet the criteria of covering the mitigation and adaptation costs and not reducing existing international aid funds.
During this summit, negotiations on this point have progressed very slowly and countries are divided. On the one hand, the countries of the Global North commit to keeping the issue on the agenda but delaying the conclusions for the COP29 (in 2024) by setting up new working groups and involving different sources of financing such as multilateral banks for development or opening up to private financing. The announcement by US Secretary of the Climate, John Kerry, that private foundations such as the Bezos Foundation and Rockefeller are among potential investors, goes in this direction. On the other hand, countries of the Global South have asserted the urgency of funding, arguing that it cannot be delayed any longer.
Decarbonization and emission reduction
Friday 11 November was the day chosen as Decarbonization Day by the Egyptian Presidency at COP27. At the same time, however, various events on fossil gas – considered a transitional fuel by the Egyptian government – and even events on the phasing out of oil and gas production took place, showing that the intentions and priorities of the Presidency of this COP27 are not set on phasing out fossil fuels .
Regarding the Global Balance of Commitments or Global Stocktaking (GST), the only progress seems to be to continue negotiations in future calls. Once again, Brazil and Saudi Arabia intend to remove the commitment to meet the global target of a 1.5°C increase in global temperature by the end of the century and the reference to fossil fuels.
Ecologists in Action joins calls to speed up the GST process and not wait until COP28 as demanded by the small island nations and the countries with the greatest climate ambitions. On the contrary, the technical committee has already issued a final document that postpones the approval of measures that could have already been decided at this climate summit to future meetings. It now remains to be seen how the negotiations in the high-level political bodies will develop next week.
For their part, the discussions on the Mitigation Work Program (MWP) are getting stuck. Countries continue to disagree on fundamental issues such as: the usefulness of this work plan, its development, or its interrelationship with the goals of the GST. While oil and fossil fuel-producing countries want to weaken the text and shorten the plan’s execution to just one year, countries in the Global North are calling for urgency but also wanting to open the door to private investment so as not to shoulder their historic responsibilities. The positions are so contradictory that negotiations may continue until Saturday evening, and yet next week’s text still contains hot points for debate.
Also of concern to Ecologists in Action is the inability of countries to agree on an effective fossil fuel phase-out. Many of the major oil producing powers are reluctant to address Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement, which establishes the need to shift financial flows from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
In addition, many countries and stakeholders claim that false solutions such as carbon capture and storage are an option to be included in Article 6 mechanisms, carbon markets and clean development mechanisms. In this sense, Ecologistas en Acción once again shows its rejection of these compensation systems and recalls that the only possible way out is through decarbonization and the preservation of ecosystems.
November 12: World March
Civil society resistance to government inaction continues at COP27, where a solidarity march has been called at the venue this November 12th. This call comes as part of the Global Day of Action called in various cities to demonstrate once again civil society’s call to do whatever is necessary to confront the climate catastrophe. Ecologists in Action will join the Spanish State’s calls and join the global call for action on climate and energy justice.