Key occasions
Ruth Michaelson
The International Marketing campaign to Demand Local weather Justice (GCDCJ) held a press convention to try to unpick the state of negotiations in Sharm el Sheikh, in addition to outlining what Gadir Lavadenz of GCDCJ known as the “hypocrisies” occurring through the talks.
Lavandez criticised what he labelled as “so-called developed nations not solely obstructing negotiations however locking the world in a fossil gas dependent path, by closing all kinds of fossil-fuel based mostly vitality offers,” throughout COP27.
Panelists Meena Raman of the Third World community and Mohammed Adow of Energy Shift Africa each criticised the present choices being mentioned at COP27 round a fund for loss and harm, notably round debates over the definition of “weak,” international locations.
“We want a fund that may channel help to probably the most weak communities, however a manner that permits us to outline what vulnerability is,” mentioned Adow.
Of their studying, this language was already settled within the textual content of the Paris settlement, and efforts to place additional definitions on it now dangers proscribing entry to the fund solely to a tiny minority of nations, slightly than recognising that almost all of the International South is weak to the affect of the local weather disaster.
Raman outlined the present choices being mentioned for a loss and harm fund, together with establishing a fund instantly, establishing a fund that begins in 2024 or another funding association completely.
“Watch the US and different developed international locations hiding behind the US to see whether or not they’ll be in help of a proposition to determine a fund proper right here in Sharm el Sheikh,” she mentioned. “General within the negotiations, the US particularly and others together with Switzerland for the environmental integrity group, they’ve been fairly belligerent. What they’re attempting to do throughout all agenda objects is to wreck the Paris settlement and wreck the conference. How they do that is by not acknowledging their historic accountability, eradicating references to frequent however differentiated tasks and capabilities…you may’t come to Sharm el Sheikh and attempt to delete all you’ve agreed to previously and fake as if there’s no historic accountability.”
Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA additionally voiced criticisms of the EU’s loss and harm proposal put ahead final night time, saying that whereas the proposal would set up a fund instantly, that “the fund right here consists of a lot of poison tablets.”
He mentioned: “Certainly one of them is that this concentrate on weak international locations solely, in addition to broadening the donor base. These are two issues that go in opposition to agreements which have already been made, and had been extraordinarily onerous fought, and we discovered a touchdown zone in Paris that once more not everybody was pleased with, however we have already got. Once more, this push to broaden the donor base particularly is an abdication of accountability from developed international locations, let’s be clear on what it’s. It could be much more credible if the US, if the EU had been really assembly their local weather finance obligations, however they’re not coming wherever shut. They are saying we’re getting near the 100 billion whereas seventy 5 p.c of what they’re counting is loans or personal finance or export credit score, it’s not actual finance that’s flowing North to South.”
Remaining textual content for Santiago Community – to offer technical assist for these going through loss and harm – has additionally lastly been revealed. (This was agreed 2 days in the past)
🌊 Advisory board established
🌊 Board may have Indigenous, girls, youth members
🌊 Secretariat location to be determined pic.twitter.com/BrTTbH8u96— Josh Gabbatiss (@Josh_Gabbatiss) November 18, 2022
Adam Morton
The low-lying Pacific island of Tuvalu has been response to the EU’s proposal on loss and harm. Its finance minister, Seve Paeniu, known as for help for phasing out all fossil fuels, language to date lacking from the draft Sharm el-Sheikh settlement.
He described the EU place on loss and harm as a “breakthrough”.
“They’re now agreeing to establishing a response fund. To me, that may be a main concession and main breakthrough,” he mentioned. “It’s our hope that will probably be ending up within the textual content of the convention choice.”
He mentioned there would then be 12 months earlier than the following Cop “to do all of the work” on designing the fund. He additionally welcomed an EU push for a recognition that international emissions must peak by 2025, slightly than 2030, and that better motion was wanted to chop methane. However he mentioned that weren’t sufficient to speed up ambition in the direction of limiting heating to 1.5C.
Paeniu mentioned language in a draft settlement for the convention wanted to be strengthened to say there needs to be a ban on all new fossil gas extraction and manufacturing, together with oil and fuel, not only a section down of unabated coal energy. “That must be within the convention choice by the tip of in the present day.”
Patrick Greenfield
If you’re confused about what’s going on at Cop27 this morning, we have to return to 1992 when the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC) was established. The Soviet Union had simply been dissolved, the world’s human inhabitants was about 5.5 billion, and international locations similar to China and South Korea had been nonetheless industrialising.
A lot has modified in 30 years. Some former japanese bloc international locations are a part of the EU and as such, have turn out to be donor nations within the UNFCCC course of. The UAE, Brazil, South Korea, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are a lot wealthier and have emitted huge quantities of greenhouse gases.
Many rich donor international locations really feel that international locations whose economies have grown considerably since 1992, particularly China, ought to contribute to any loss and harm fund for weak international locations. There will probably be an enormous tussle on this challenge within the coming hours and days in Egypt between negotiators.
Right here is the most recent from Carbon Temporary’s senior coverage editor Simon Evans on how shut we’re to settlement.
China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar ought to contribute to loss and harm – Canada
Patrick Greenfield
I grabbed a phrase with Canada’s setting minister, Steven Guilbeault, at its Cop27 pavilion this morning. He mentioned Canada was supportive of the EU’s proposal on loss and harm, however international locations similar to China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar ought to contribute to the fund given their historic emissions and wealth.
He instructed the Guardian: “We’re not against the concept of making a brand new fund. There’s already a variety of funding on the market … The G77 appears to essentially, actually desire a new fund. I believe what the EU proposal does is to say: ‘if we had been to create a brand new fund, we’re going to want sure circumstances: we have to see actual ambition on mitigation within the textual content’. We agree with that and we aren’t seeing that proper now.
“We have to have a critical dialog about increasing the donor base. We recognise our accountability however we’re much less and fewer giant emitters in comparison with others. It’s within the curiosity of weak international locations to have extra donors … China ought to positively be there. I believe there are a variety of oil-producing nations within the Gulf area that needs to be a part of that. I haven’t regarded on the UAE’s figures however Qatar and Saudi Arabia, sure,” he mentioned.
Loss and harm has been the primary challenge and sticking level at these talks, however what precisely does it imply? My colleague Nina Lakhani’s explainer ought to reply your questions:
Megan Darby, editor of ClimateHome, can also be going via the brand new textual content (which dropped, she says, a few hours after they’d despatched out the publication).
She factors out that the demand for fossil gas phase-down which many individuals needed nonetheless has not made the minimize. But in addition provides:
Provocative fundamental language on “deep remorse” that developed international locations are so garbage has gone.
The newest draft textual content has additionally been revealed and is being combed via by everybody.
Sébastien Duyck, a senior Lawyer working at #COP27, thinks there are 4 principal areas of concern:
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the deletion of references to human proper to a clear setting;
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no reference to phasing out of oil & fuel;
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references to “low emission vitality programs” & “clear energy era” opening door for continued promotion of #FossilFuels as a substitute of shift to #RenewableEnergy
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and no reference to the essential biodiversity COP-15 upcoming subsequent month and the necessity for a robust consequence
Mikael Karlsson has tweeted the EU proposal right here.
Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s stay protection of the Cop27 local weather talks.
At this time is theoretically the ultimate day of the convention, however these occasions often overrun and most of the people count on it to final into Saturday and presumably even Sunday.
Nevertheless, a serious step ahead got here in a single day because the European Union agreed to help the creation of a fund for loss and harm finance – that’s, cash supplied by wealthy international locations to assist poorer international locations adapt to and get better from the devastating results of the local weather disaster.
My colleagues Fiona Harvey and Adam Morton have the complete story right here:
Patrick Greenfield will probably be right here shortly, and you may attain him at patrick.greenfield@theguardian.com or on Twitter at @pgreenfielduk.
