Want to catch up on COP27 negotiations? Here's a quick summary of what COP27 is, who was involved, and what we can take away from it as we take urgent climate action.
Climate activists demand urgent action, but what response can we expect from the world’s key players? Whether you’ve been eagerly waiting for the results of this year’s UN climate changeconference or you only recently heard of COP27 discussions — we’ll fill you in on what was discussed at COP27 in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
What Was COP27?
COP27 stands for 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. From November 6 to November 20, debates full of suspense, negotiations on the future of climate change, press conferences, protests, and more were held in Sharm el-Sheikh. But who attended this impactful event?
Besides 100 heads of state and governments, over 35,000 participants attended COP27, including climate activists from all over the world from organizations such as Fridays for Future. While high-level negotiations were only held with key players present, there were also some side events and press conferences that regular participants could join. Protests were only allowed to a certain extent and were subject to strict conditions and surveillance.
Who Were the Key Players at COP27?
Seeing as the most important discussions at COP27 allowed only key players to participate, you may wonder, who were these key players? We’ve listed some of the main stakeholders for you below. Please note that 100 heads of state in total attended, so this is just a small insight:
Politicians and Countries:
- President Xi Jinping representing China
- Joe Biden as President of the United States
- Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission
- Prime minister Rishi Sunak representing the United Kingdom
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadaf representing India
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as President of Brazil
- Cyril Ramaphosa as President of South Africa
- UN General Secretary António Guterres
- Sameh Shoukry as minister of foreign affairs of Egypt
Other Negotiating Blocs:
- ‘BASIC’ countries:This bloc is comprised of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China as fast-developing countries with high-pollution economies.
- G77 + China:Alliance of 77 developing countries and China.
- Umbrella Group:An alliance of non-EU developed countries, including Australia, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
- Africa Group: U.N. members pushing for climate financing.
- Climate Vulnerable Forum: This includes 58 countries that are most at risk from the impact of climate change, such as Bangladesh and the Maldives.
What Were Some of the Main Themes at COP27?
You may have heard some people refer to COP27 as “Africa COP” or “Implementation COP.” That’s because COP27 presented an opportunity to operationalize issues critical to the African continent. These issues had been discussed at COP26 in 2021 and refer to loss and damage discussions. But what does that mean, exactly?
Loss and Damage:
The concept of loss and damage is, essentially, to hold the biggest fuel polluters liable for the suffering caused by the climate crisis. Some examples of this suffering are extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, drought, wildfires, and onset climate disasters such as sea-level rise and melting glaciers.
This suffering mainly affects those who have contributed the least to global warming. Together, this group is referred to as MAPA, ormost affected people and areas. These countries and people are demanding climate financing for mitigation. Mitigation refers to preventing further loss, which can be narrowed down to “reducing or preventing emissions of greenhouse gases,” according to the UN. Such financing includes economic costs on lives, livelihood, homes, and food systems.
Besides these economic costs, loss and damage talks addressnon-economic costs that are harder to pinpoint, such as loss of culture, sovereignty, identity, biodiversity, well-being, and many more. It’s worth mentioning that the concept of loss and damage has been around for more than thirty years,and was initially introduced by island nations and climate-vulnerable countries.
1,5 C Limit:
The Paris climate agreement had all signatories agree to work together to keep the global temperature rise under 2° C, with 1.5° C being the target. Everything above this was categorized as unsafe as it increased the risk of serious consequences such as extreme heat, an ice-free arctic, flooding, and more. Ever since this agreement was made, UN climate discussions revised this target regularly. Naturally, it was a big topic at COP27 too.
Energy Transition:
Another major theme of COP27 stems from the immediate political necessities of energy security and affordability. At COP26 in Glasgow, a commitment was made to phase out the use of coal, one of the biggest fossil fuels.
What Are the Key Outcomes of COP27?
If you’re interested in details regarding all decisions made at COP27, have a look at the official implementation plan of COP27.If you are just looking for a brief overview of some of the key outcomes, we’ve got you covered:
- Loss and Damage: While many details remain to be negotiated, an agreement on a fund to provide loss and damage funding for vulnerable countries was made. Thisfund remains to be set up, and details on exactly how and from whom the finance is going to be provided must be negotiated more clearly.
- 1.5°C: Parties at COP27 agreed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires “rapid, deep and sustained reductions” in global greenhouse gas emissions, reducing them by 43 percent by 2030.
- Energy Transition:While certain countries at COP27, such as India, were fighting to phase down all fossil fuels, the resolution did not change. Despite the final text of COP27 acknowledging the need to boost “low-emissions energy,” this remains to be defined more precisely and put into action.
How Is the World Reacting to COP27 Discussions?
As in years before, public reactions to COP27 differ widely. Some see the progress on loss and damage and the decision to create a fund as a major breakthrough and a step towards a just and equitable transition. However, many critics argue that the decision is too vague and lacks concrete action.
Ursula von der Leyen states that COP27 was “a small step towards climate justice” but acknowledges that much remains to be done. Likewise, UN secretary António Guterres refers to the loss and damage fund as “a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust” while admitting that “clearly this will not be enough.”
Reactions from climate activists were critical to decisions made by key players. For example, German activist and head of Fridays for Future in Germany, Luisa Neubauer, states that countries would be “undermining their own promises” with gas deals, criticizing the lack of progress on the fossil fuel debate.
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How Can I React to COP27 Discussions?
Hearing about the realities of climate change and discussions at COP27 may have you feeling helpless or experiencing a bout ofeco-anxiety. But don’t worry; there are plenty of ways to combat this feeling. Knowing that “you are never too small to make a difference,”as Greta Thunberg states, is the first step.
Check out these 15 ways to combat climate change in everyday life that include tips on using your resources more carefully or saving energy, among many more great ideas. Green living doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive! If you’re ready to take your fight for climate justice to the next level, check out your local activism groups or other environmental organizations who are always happy to welcome new members.
Share your knowledge on climate justice with those around you, especially if you have to deal with climate change denial in your social circle. But while taking climate action is as important as never before, know that it’s okay to take a break from the news sometimes and go on a digital detox.
Read More:
- 6 Solutions to Deforestation and What You Can Do
- 8 Things You Can Do to Save the Ocean
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FAQs
What is the summary of COP27? ›
The UN COP27 climate summit restated the global commitment to tackling climate change in the face of the current energy crisis. However, global emissions remain at record high levels and the world is on track to warming well in excess of 2°C, with intensifying climate damages.
What decisions were made at COP27? ›The final decision text, known as the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan was published on 20 November after negotiations overran the conference. The text reaffirms the commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
What are the main points of COP27? ›Mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate technology – all of it requires sufficient funds to function properly and to yield the desired results. On this crucial topic, COP27 created a pathway to align the broader finance flows towards low emissions and climate resilient development.
What was the key outcome of COP27? ›Creating a funding stream to address “loss and damage” became the litmus test for success at COP27. After two weeks of hard-fought negotiations that teetered on the verge of collapse, countries finally reached consensus to establish funding arrangements, including a dedicated fund for loss and damage.
What is the full meaning of COP27? ›On 20 November, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), that took place in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, concluded with a historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund.
What is the meaning of COP in COP27? ›next. About the conference. At the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP 27), countries came together to take action towards achieving the world's collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention. The conference took place from 6-20 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
What is the conclusion on COP27? ›COP 27 conclusions 🌍
The Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 27th edition (COP27), held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh, took a "historic" step by agreeing to establish the first fund aimed at providing financial assistance for the impacts of climate change.
The discussions highlighted solutions – on themes including food security, vulnerable communities and just transition – to chart a path to overcome climate challenges and how to provide the finance, resources and tools to effectively deliver climate action at scale.
Was COP27 a success or failure? ›The COP27 agreement failed to go beyond the 2021 Glasgow climate pact's promise to “phase down unabated coal power”, despite the Indian proposal that all fossil fuels should be phased out.
What are the issues in COP27? ›COP 27 returned focus to the critical issue of climate adaptation. Less than 20% of climate financing supports adaptation and resilience efforts. According to the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report (AGR), funding for adaptation is 5-10 times below what is needed.
Why is COP27 important to the climate? ›
COP27 brought governments together to accelerate global efforts to confront the climate crisis. It was an important moment because the latest science shows that climate change is moving much faster than we are, pushing ecosystems and communities to their limits.
How many countries are attending COP27? ›Special representative for the COP27 presidency Wael Aboulmagd did not give away specific names, but it's expected that world leaders and representatives from more than 190 countries will attend the summit.
Why was COP27 a failure? ›A number of expert commentators have already declared COP27 — the recent UN climate summit in Egypt — to be a failure. The talks stalled on key issues and failed to secure commitments to stop greenhouse gas emissions from rising beyond thresholds that will lead to dangerous global warming.
Was COP27 effective? ›COP 27 failed to deliver what the science tells us was needed. With the window of opportunity closing fast on our goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C or less, COP 27 did far too little on the all-important issue of mitigation—that is, cutting emissions.
Who is organizing COP27? ›In November 2022, the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition to effectively tackle the global challenge of climate change.
What is the role played by Egypt in COP27? ›Egypt's COP27 vision is to move from negotiations and planning to implementation, with a clear recognition of the gravity of the global climate challenge and appreciation of the value of multilateral, collective and concerted action as the only means to address this global threat.
Why is COP27 in Egypt? ›At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, known as COP27, leaders from around the world are gathering to discuss solutions to climate change and global warming.
Where was COP27 held? ›2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference
What is the difference between COP27 and COP15? ›COP15 was concerned with biodiversity while COP27 – short for the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – focused on solving the issue of climate change.
What do the letters in COP stand for? ›: police officer. They called the cops to report a robbery.
How will COP27 affect businesses? ›
Indeed, during COP27 Rishi Sunak's government will announce that listed companies and financial institutions in the UK must report on their net zero transition plan by the end of 2023. This will require these larger corporations' suppliers to set their own net zero commitments, directly affecting SMEs.
Where is the next COP27 meeting? ›In November 2022, Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition.
Which country will host the COP27 climate Summit in the year 2022? ›The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 6 November until 20 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
What was the outcome of COP26 for kids? ›Responding to the outcomes of COP26 for children and young people, Joanna Rea, Director of Advocacy for the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) said: “COP26 was a chance for world leaders to recognise the climate crisis as a child rights crisis and agree ambitious and concrete action to tackle climate change.
Was COP21 a failure? ›COP21 has failed to adequately address the threat climate change poses to the “undeveloped” world. The “developed world” is primarily responsible for climate change destruction by emitting massive amounts of greenhouse gases, but the “developing world” is suffering the consequences more acutely.
What were the positive outcomes of COP26? ›The two headline outcomes from COP26 were the signing of the Glasgow Climate Pact and agreeing the Paris Rulebook. Other significant deals and announcements, not part of COP26 itself, were also made during the conference.
What is COP27 targets? ›Presidency Action Agenda
Among key focus areas will be the promise of innovation and clean technologies as well as the centrality of water and agriculture to the climate crisis. The role of science will also be highlighted in addition to biodiversity loss, energy transition, decarbonization efforts and finance.”
The UN Climate Change Conference (the official name for climate Conferences of the Parties) has happened every year since 1995. These two-week summits are an important space for world leaders, politicians, experts and a whole host of other people to discuss the climate crisis on a global level.
Where will COP27 be held? ›2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference
What was the problem with Cop27? ›Loss and damage
As expected, Cop27 was dominated by arguments about climate compensation due to poorer countries. Global warming has been caused by industrial nations who used fossil fuels to enrich themselves. They should therefore reimburse countries who are suffering most from climate change.
What are the issues in Cop27? ›
COP 27 returned focus to the critical issue of climate adaptation. Less than 20% of climate financing supports adaptation and resilience efforts. According to the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report (AGR), funding for adaptation is 5-10 times below what is needed.
What is Cop27 targets? ›Presidency Action Agenda
Among key focus areas will be the promise of innovation and clean technologies as well as the centrality of water and agriculture to the climate crisis. The role of science will also be highlighted in addition to biodiversity loss, energy transition, decarbonization efforts and finance.”
In November 2022, the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition to effectively tackle the global challenge of climate change.
Why is it called COP27? ›The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 6 November until 20 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.