Known as the cradle of civilization, from November 2022 Egypt could be the birthplace of the implementation of actions needed to address the climate emergency. For two weeks in November, between the 6th and 18th, the eyes of the world will be on the tourist destination known for the luxurious resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, the city that will host COP27. A year after the meeting held in Glasgow, Scotland, the event will be the fifth of its kind on the African continent.

At COP26, the parties – the member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – closed the so-called rulebook of the Paris Agreement, the main climate treaty created in 2015 during COP21 in the French capital. Now, it is more than urgent to proceed to the next step, but there are questions that will have to be answered in Egypt: how to put into practice what has been promised to curb the rise in the planet's temperature? Where to take the money to finance the necessary measures? And how to act fairly, without leaving the poorest and most vulnerable countries behind, and holding the richest responsible for the highest historical levels of greenhouse gas emissions?

With undeferred issues, COP27 is expected to address crucial points for the meeting to have practical results in the present time, rather than ending with more promises for the future.

>>> Implementation with ambition: it is still possible to keep alive the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC – but projections show that urgent measures are needed to achieve the feat. Therefore, in addition to implementing, countries need to increase ambition and commit themselves, in fact, to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

>>> Financing: implementing means having money to invest. In addition to the transition needed for all countries, there is a promise to create a $100 billion fund for the poorest nations with resources from the wealthiest countries since 2009. The compromise is expected to come out of the paper at the Egypt conference.

>>> Adaptation: reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a measure to curb global warming, which is a mitigation action. However, the effects of climate change can already be perceived in different regions of the world. Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a climate adaptation mechanism, especially for developing countries, in addition to mitigation efforts, as there are ongoing threats that can be avoided with appropriate measures.

>>> Losses and damage: when there is no mitigation and adaptation, there are losses with the effects of climate change. Floods, landslides, fires, among other extreme events, generate economic and social losses in the affected places. For those with the global warming bill, cop27 is expected to bring some solution to address issues related to climate damage.

>>> Human rights: despite all the global climate problems, the holding of COP27 in Egypt raised the debate about the guarantee of human rights during an event known for protests and demonstrations by civil society. Egypt, which is experiencing an authoritarian regime, rebukes and imprisons activists. For the protection of the environment to be guaranteed, it is essential that people have the freedom to speak out in the countries where they live.

Participants and presence of Brazil

By the last few days, about 90 heads of state had confirmed their presence at the summit. Among the most anticipated turnouts are those of the leaders of the G20 countries —the world's 19 largest economies plus the European Union—which account for about 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming and climate change to worsen. Rishi Sunak, Britain's newest prime minister and one of the stars of COP26, confirmed his participation at 45 in the second half, after being criticized outside and within his own party by stating that he needed to prioritise the domestic agenda. Joe Biden, President of the United States, Emmanuelle Macron, president of France, and Giorgia Meloni, Italy's newly elected right-wing prime minister also confirmed their presence. 

Brazil is also part of this group of the G20 and will be represented in three independent pavilions: one of the federal government, one of civil society and a third that constitutes something unprecedented, a space of the Amazonian States. At the conference, these governors intend to discuss actions to combat deforestation and burning, sustainable development initiatives and also meet with foreign funders, such as the government of Norway, the largest donor of the Amazon Fund — which had been with contributions down since 2009, but should be reactivated, according to the announcement made after the election result. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who takes office in January 2023, confirmed in recent days that he will also participate in COP27, accepting invitations from the Legal Amazon Consortium and Egypt's leader, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi.

Programming

This year, the debates will be divided by theme as follows: after the initial speeches and meetings of world leaders in the first days, on Wednesday (9) the ball of the time will be climate financing. On Thursday (10), topics related to science will be discussed, from documents such as the IPCC reports, and the youth and future generations. On Friday (11), the topic of the day is decarbonization. Saturday (12) will be dedicated to the debate on climate adaptation and agriculture. The following week begins with discussions about gender and water on the 14th. Tuesday (15) is the day to talk about civil society and energy. On the 16th, the subject is biodiversity, and on Thursday (17), solutions for climate.

Source: Um só Planeta