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Starting Monday, negotiations at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt will now shift attention as the ministerial sessions begin.
In the past week there was no meaningful progress. Big polluters keep talking while the voices of the climate vulnerable are being stifled.
There is work being done to put a draft cover text which will be the main outcome text and will capture the main issues which will be presented for resolution at the end of COP27 scheduled close on Friday.
The vibe is to have an Africa COP and an implementation COP. As cover text evolves it will have to show some progress on both aspects.
It will also have to acknowledge the lack of progress on finance, the inclusion of loss and damage as an agenda item but not much more, and propose some useful language that shows confidence that the wide gaps in mitigation needed globally can be addressed, senior negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IANS.
Sounding an alarming note, Greenpeace has warned that hope and progress can only be restored if the microphone is taken from the polluters and handed to people from impacted communities and countries.
To succeed, the COP27 must agree to establish a dedicated financial facility for loss and damage, secure adequate adaptation and green transition funding for developing countries and accelerate fossil fuel phase out in line with 1.5 degrees Celisus.
Yeb Sano, Executive Director, Greenpeace Southeast Asia and Head of the Greenpeace delegation attending the COP said: „People and the planet are being sidelined, pushed to the fringes and into the corners of COP27, buried beneath corporate logos and fossil fuel lobbyists.
„This is supposed to be more than just a process COP, it is supposed to be the Africa COP, where the voices of the hardest hit by climate impacts should be the loudest and the outcomes dictated by the needs of people and planet not the greed of polluters.“
However, key issues to watch out for in the week are: Mitigation work programme. A strong mitigation work plan will be foundational to discuss nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the progress made on mitigation across countries, and will strongly link to the political decisions on climate action.
