Senior UN climate advisor in SKAI: “We are seeing an increase in extreme climate events, but there is also progress”

Interview with Korina Georgiou

Negotiations for a sustainable planet are coming to a head in Sharm el-Sheikh, with issues of financing the economically weaker countries hit by the climate crisis delaying the drafting of the final COP27 pact.

The goal of the Presidency is to conclude today, as announced by its Egyptian President, Sameh Shoukry, and shortly before the final text of the Conference, Nicholas Hagelberg, Senior Advisor of the UN Climate Crisis Program, speaks exclusively to Korina Georgiou and the “Dekatians” for the progress of the negotiations but also the positive steps achieved at this year’s Conference.

Read the interview in detail:

Korina Georgiou: Government ministers and negotiators from nearly 200 countries began this week trying to find common ground for an agreement at the annual UN climate conference. The Egyptian Presidency of COP27 issued a two-page draft of what could become an agreement, a non-paper, as they called it. Could you give us a picture of this draft? You are currently in Sharm El Sheikh.

Nicholas Hagelberg:The text is still under negotiation, so while I have seen the draft, it is still early days. The final document may be very different from the released draft. But we can see some progress in technology, in transparency, even in loss and damage which has been a big topic of discussion here, so if these texts stay as they are – they can again be changed – but if they stay like this, there will be a small step forward.

K.G.: A new report from the United Nations Development Program warns that the effects of the climate crisis will start to become more deadly than some widespread diseases, such as cancer, as the planet continues to warm. Do we have time to save our future from climate catastrophe and can we be optimistic about the results of COP27 in terms of implementation and action?

N.X.: I’m afraid time is not on our side, but I think there has been some progress. So if we go back to 2015, we were heading for a world where we would see a temperature increase of 4.5 degrees. If all the plans put forward by governments are implemented, we could achieve the target of an overall temperature increase of 1.8 degrees. I try to see the glass as half full, even though we are seeing more extreme climate events and disasters, there is still progress. There is progress mainly in energy, where renewable sources are the cheapest form of power generation.

K.G.: According to the UN, the world’s population has passed the eight billion mark. Most of the 2.4 billion born before the world population peaks will come from sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these countries are suffering from severe droughts due to the climate crisis. So what are the risks these populations will face and how can the global community help them?

N.X: Early warning systems are a really great way to save lives, to help people by providing information 24 hours before something bad happens, like a storm for example. Also, ecosystem-based adaptation, to help urban areas by keeping them cooler so extreme heat doesn’t kill people.

K.G.: Having more people on earth puts more pressure on nature, as people “compete” with wild animals for water, food and space. Can our planet withstand this?

NX.: The richest 1% have much higher emissions than the poorest sections of the population, to such an extent that this 1% of the richest countries have twice the emissions of the poorest 50%. There are many opportunities to increase resilience against climate change and then to meet the needs of a growing population.

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