The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which has been declared open today, 6th November, 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt with the key aim of ensuring full implementation of the Paris Agreement.
In his opening address, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell who disclosed this, asked Governments to focus on three critical areas at COP27.
According to him, “The first is a transformational shift to implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions.
“The second is cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
“The third is enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process”, he said.
The ES added that discussions at COP27 begin near the end of year that has seen devastating floods and unprecedented heat waves, severe droughts and formidable storms, all unequivocal signs of the unfolding climate emergency.
“At the same time, millions of people throughout the world are confronting the impacts of simultaneous crises in energy, food, water and cost of living, aggravated by severe geopolitical conflicts and tensions.
“In this adverse context, some countries have begun to stall or reverse climate policies and doubled down on fossil fuel use”, he said.
Recalled COP26 in Glasgow, only 29 out of 194 countries came forward with tightened national plans. “With the Paris Rulebook essentially concluded thanks to COP26 in Glasgow last year, the litmus test of this and every future COP is how far deliberations are accompanied by action.
“Everybody, every single day, everywhere in the world, needs to do everything they possibly can to avert the climate crisis,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary.
“COP27 sets out a new direction for a new era of implementation: where outcomes from the formal and informal process truly begin to come together to drive greater climate progress — and accountability for that progress,” Mr. Stiell said.
While welcoming delegation, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP27 President, Sameh Shoukry said: “We’re gathering this year at a time when global climate action is at a watershed moment.
“Multilateralism is being challenged by geopolitics, spiraling prices, and growing financial crises, while several countries battered by the pandemic have barely recovered, and severe and depleting climate change-induced disasters are becoming more frequent.
“COP27 creates a unique opportunity in 2022 for the world to unite, to make multilateralism work by restoring trust and coming together at the highest levels to increase our ambition and action in fighting climate change.
“COP27 must be remembered as the ‘Implementation COP’ the one where we restore the grand bargain that is at the centre of the Paris Agreement”, he said.
According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, CO2 emissions need to be cut 45% by 2030, compared to 2010 levels to meet the central Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
This is crucial to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.
The COP27 Presidency will host a series of events in thematic days from 9-17 November which will highlight practical solutions to the challenge of climate change and explore approaches to immediately scale up implementation of these solutions in key sectors with all stakeholders.
Under the guidance of two high-level climate Champions, Nigel Topping (UK) and Mahmoud Mohieldin (Egypt) progress, plans and targets for a range of sectors and initiatives will be presented in dozens of events in the Climate Action Zone in COP.
These events will focus on the overarching theme of turning climate pledges into climate action in pursuit of net-zero emissions, enhanced resilience for the most vulnerable, and aligning financial flows with these goals.
