After struggling with difficulties in forecasting the COP27 agenda, the negotiation on reparation for climate damages was stagnant in informal consultations with countries in the first week of the UN Climate Conference, which runs until the 18th, in Egypt.
The rift between rich countries and the developing bloc, represented by the G-77 and China, remains deep.
The international scenario, of course, weighs heavily on this issue, given the tensions generated by the war in Ukraine — and the consequent discussions related to energy and security —, the lack of fulfillment of previous promises by developed countries and, also, the absence of significant new commitments. for climate finance.
In the same week that the UN released a recommendation of criteria to avoid greenwashing in carbon offset ads, the United States proposed the use of carbon credit money as a financial source for the energy transition in developing countries.
The credits would come from the very end of operation of the plants powered by fossil fuels. In other words, there would be no such emissions.
The idea — which was highlighted by US special climate envoy John Kerry as open for discussion and improvement — was not very well received and led countries and observers to talk of “real funding” for climate.
Americans have publicly emphasized that there is not enough money to repair climate loss and damage.
In a shy visit to the COP, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke about the numbers of his climate actions, announced that he should double the contribution to the Adaptation Fund to US$ 100 million (R$ 531 million) and avoided mentioning the losses and damage.
The absence of the agenda in the speech reflects a stagnant negotiation. The CAN (Climate Action Network, which encompasses several international organizations) points out that the first week of the conference had a lot of “noise” both from polluters – with a large presence of the fossil fuel lobby – and weak announcements.
Countries have reaffirmed their already known positions during informal consultations in recent days, leading diplomats from the bloc of the most vulnerable countries (the V20, which includes 58 nations) to fear that the negotiations will become “lectures” on the different perspectives, without offers, bargains and possible advances.
This is, theoretically, a more technical moment. Next week, ministers arrive at the conference —among them, Joaquim Leite, from the Brazilian environmental portfolio — to try to unblock possible political knots in the negotiations. But without much progress to show, there is a risk of not achieving sufficient convergence between the blocs.
Developing countries call for recognition of the gap between the necessary actions and the little support available, also suggesting the creation of an operational body to deal with the reparation of losses and damages.
Developed countries have launched a series of parallel recommendations, such as workshops, regional meetings, technical documents, ministerial round tables, among others. The “brainstorm” is seen by the developing bloc as uncommitted to the urgency of the crisis, which is already causing losses across the world.
Countries are also negotiating a global adaptation target, a mitigation program that allows for annual updates and monitoring, and preparation for the Global Balance (expected for 2023, when countries must reassess progress on climate goals agreed in Paris).
Not to mention the complex “details” of Article 6 still under negotiation, which need to be fixed. In other words, there is much to be resolved and negotiated.
Saturday (12) was the day when the Egyptian presidency of the conference took political control and the processes that unfold at the COP.
For next week, the expectation is that the presidency will build, over the next week, a decision capable of sending a political message of confidence and hope to the world – which accompanies the negotiation with a growing sense of urgency.
One of the options that countries have been considering to convey optimism with the agenda is the establishment of a 1.5ºC ceiling for global warming.
The objective is more restricted and compromised than the one envisaged in the Paris Agreement, which allows for an average global warming window of between 1.5ºC and 2ºC by the end of the century. The difference of half a degree implies, for example, the disappearance of island countries, which are being inundated with rising sea levels.
It is worth mentioning that, this year, Sameh Shoukry, president of COP27 and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, told the Associated Press: “We can see gas as a transitional energy source with certainly less emissions.” On October 25, the Egyptian city Cairo was the meeting place of the GECF (Forum of Gas Exporting Countries).
Responding to a question, Kerry said that there are countries that do not want 1.5ºC to appear in the COP decision text. In general, emerging economies have rejected the proposal, considering that it would be a renegotiation of the Paris Agreement.
“We need to have the 1.5°C target clearly reiterated,” Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, said on Saturday (12).
With what is currently at work in the world, humanity is far from reaching the goal of “only” increasing the Earth’s average temperature by 1.5°C — currently, we are already at 1.1°C increase.
In any case, there is a possibility that COP27 will end without major “results”. There is a lot of talk about this being a conference of processes, that is, of building paths to finally reach more significant decisions. One such case could be, for example, the issue of damages, with resolutions only taking place in 2024.
Even so, the “COP of implementation” seems to be falling short. According to Tubiana, if more significant and concrete promises are not reached next week, “we will be in a very difficult situation by the end of next week.” “This is killing the hope of 1.5°C.”
One cannot forget that, as expected, COP27 has been marked by human rights issues — after all, it is worth mentioning, the right to a clean and sustainable environment is a human right. Egypt is ruled by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power after a coup nearly a decade ago.
The country is estimated to have tens of thousands of political prisoners. Public demonstrations are virtually prohibited, due to the various limitations imposed.
In the first week of the event, social activists reported monitoring and embarrassment during the conference.
“It seems to me a very silent COP,” said Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement. “We don’t see the necessary space for civil society. We can’t have an ambitious package at the COP if we don’t have the capacity for civil society to speak up. There is clearly a human rights problem at the COP.”
The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
