By Marcus Suner

With the goal of ensuring collaborative and collective action between all countries to implement climate initiatives, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference — Conference of the Parties (COP27) — is currently being held at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 until November 18. 

Out of the 197 nations attending, leaders of the major polluters are in attendance, including United States of America (USA) President Joe Biden, European Union (EU) President Ursula Von der Leyen, British Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres.

However, there were some leaders who declined the invitation such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; all three being key contributors to carbon emissions.

In preparation for COP27, the Philippines was designated as the co-facilitator to lead the discussion on climate finance attended by 17 other countries. 

Day 1 (November 6)

The international conference began with UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s opening remarks, where he pushed nations to come together in facing climate catastrophe; even saying that humanity only has two choices: whether to “cooperate or perish”.

Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization released its Global State of the Climate report for 2022, which highlights the current climate crisis, urging countries to face the consequences by undertaking concrete actions, such as investing more in renewables and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Day 2 (November 7)

The funding arrangements for poorer countries were placed on the formal agenda of the summit’s discussion regarding loss and damage through pushing “economically strong” countries to send financial aid to developing nations most affected by climate change.  

Endorsed by the EU president, several European countries started to undertake direct funding for loss and damage with the following pledges: Germany with $ 170 million, Austria with around $ 50 million, Ireland with $ 10 million, and Belgium with $2.5 million. 

This discussion, however, was not attended by the USA. 

Day 3 (November 8)

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif pointed out in his speech that it is “unjust and unfair” that their country is one of the “major” victims of climate change this year despite its low carbon footprint. 

With this, he called on wealthier countries to financially assist in the costs of climate hazards, especially in nations like Pakistan which suffered from “catastrophic” flooding earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, Antigua PM Gaston Browne called out the oil giants for their contribution to climatic destruction and said, “While they are profiting, the planet is burning.”

Moreover, the leaders and delegations of multiple minor countries also spoke, including countries like Senegal, Estonia, Poland, Zimbabwe, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, with the common theme of finance, sustainability, and solidarity. 

Day 4 (November 9)

Designated as Finance Day, the day was marked by financial discussions with the launching of the African initiative, “Reducing the Cost of Green and Sustainable Borrowing”, which aims to allocate funds for environmental projects centered on energy, construction, and agriculture within the African continent.

In the high-level ministerial dialogue on a new collective quantified goal for climate finance, Philippine Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga was made co-moderator. 

She mentioned that the damage caused by the recent Typhoon Paeng is a “reminder of the devastating impacts of climate change.”

Day 5 (November 10)

Tagged as Science Day and Youth & Future Generations Day, this day was packed with discussions that highlighted the climate community’s reports and recommendations.

Youth representatives were also given the opportunity to showcase their stories and perspectives and engage high-level representatives.

In addition, experts released the UN climate change report titled “10 New Insights in Climate Science 2022”, which presents new insights such as the web of interactions between climate change and other risk drivers, including the pandemic, food crises, conflicts, and financial challenges. 

An open letter signed by 21 Philippine youth organizations was submitted and presented in person by a delegation led by CEED representative Krishna Ariola. 

The declaration called for the abolishment of fossil fuels to attain the goal of only a 1.5-°C increase in the global temperature. This was the first in-person submission from the Filipino youth since COP22, held back in 2016.

Day 6 (November 11)

Decarbonization Day gave focus to the discussions of plans and policies from several energy-intensive sectors, with the aim of reducing carbon footprints and gradually moving towards decarbonization.

Philippine Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga met with President Macron and had a bilateral meeting with the French minister for ecological transition Christophe Béchu regarding both countries’ plastic management. 

Talks about climate compensation for developing nations showed that countries are “not yet ready” to decide on a new funding mechanism for losses and damages. Despite expectations, EU negotiator Jacob Weksman said that there was no agreement on a single funding solution.

Thumbnail from Reuters