COP 27
Context:
- What are the implications of the need for climate change action in a society where inequality is evident? Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, this has been a hot topic in discussions about climate change. This topic will also be a major focus of the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.
About UNFCCC COPs:
- The principal international agreement that guides efforts to address climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures meant to decrease emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) that contribute to global warming is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- It became effective in 1994. 197 nations have ratified it, and membership is expected to be nearly universal. The UNFCCC conference of parties is the collective name for the nations that have ratified the convention (COP). A conference that has previously been held 26 times will take place in Egypt for a 27th time this month.
Results of earlier COPs:
- Several developed nations made commitments to achieve net-zero emissions (NZE) by 2050 in the run-up to COP26, which was held in Glasgow last year. In contradiction of these assertions, the requirements of “keeping the 1.5 degree (target) alive”) were made.
- The historic Paris Climate Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 at the 21st COP of the UNFCCC, intends to keep global warming far below 2 degrees Celsius, ideally to 1.5 degrees Celsius, with respect to pre-industrial levels. Nations want to reach the peak of global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as is practicable in order to meet this long-term temperature objective. By the middle of the century, they will be able to build a planet that is climate-neutral.
- In order to keep global warming below 1.5°C (with a 50% chance), four out of five of the carbon budget must be preserved. The industrialised nations are mostly to blame for these historical CO2 emissions. However, these goals were enthusiastically welcomed.
- High drama also erupted at COP26 when India and other states resolutely disagreed with the decision to focus immediate attention on a particular fossil fuel. Many negotiators from wealthy nations used their children’s future as an excuse for their moral haughtiness. When we consider the realities of the world’s energy inequities, the language of COP26 seems terribly dishonest.
Global energy imbalances:
- The majority of energy poverty exists in developing nations. Compared to the approximately 2.6 billion people who have access to electricity in 2021, 733 million people did not. The 20 richest nations use 85 times more energy per person on average than the 20 poorest. Since there is a direct link between the availability of energy and human advancement, it is imperative to address the severe energy poverty that exists in developing nations.
- The bleak facts of global injustice were crystallised by the COVID-19 epidemic. The epidemic is causing significant declines in agricultural and industrial output in a number of nations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The issues have gotten worse due to a lack of a dependable energy infrastructure, which has a significant impact on developmental indices.
- These disparities have gotten worse in 2022 as a result of rising energy and food prices. An additional 70 million people are anticipated to soon be living below the $3.20 per person per day poverty level as a result of the fast rising cost of living in many nations.
- Due to this, COP27 presents an excellent opportunity to recognise and address issues with energy security and access in less developed countries. Regrettably, these persistent issues in the global South have not been addressed by developed country governments, academia, or civil society.
Moving ahead:
A basis for moral principles:
- The poorest countries in the world must make sure that the COP27 debates are focused on their lack of energy security and the enormous global disparities in access to energy. In addition to successfully tackling climate change, we must work together to achieve zero (GHG) emissions, zero hunger, zero malnutrition, zero poverty, and universal wellbeing. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals also incorporate these objectives.
The trees are what propel COP 27:
- At COP26, there were some hazy commitments to limit deforestation. Through monoculture farming, nations can quickly progress toward achieving their “net zero deforestation targets.” Despite research showing that naturally conserved woodlands are 40% more effective than ones that have been planted, this won’t truly help.
- The current climate catastrophe is interwoven with other difficult problems. This encourages us to demand comprehensive, integrated climate solutions. The biodiversity and climate change crises are dramatically exacerbated by forests. Eighty percent of all terrestrial species live in forests, which also take in 7.6 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. Their biophysical characteristics have been determined to incline toward an additional 0.5% cooling of the globe, according to a recent study. Up to 37% of the emissions reductions required to stop climate change can be attained through the protection of forests and other natural alternatives.
- Hence the requirement for a policy of forest-led climate action.
Conclusion:
- We must cooperate to make sure that these developmental goals are not disregarded, as they were during COP26, in order to prevent inaccurate declarations of net-zero intentions three decades in the future. This is suggested by the tagline for COP27 (“Together for Implementation”). At COP27, developing country leaders may promote fruitful discussions about the relative obligations and sharing of mitigation and adaptation costs while managing loss and damage, based on equality, shared but distinct obligations, and a range of capacities.
- What are the implications of the need for climate change action in a society where inequality is evident? Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, this has been a hot topic in discussions about climate change. This topic will also be a major focus of the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.
