COP27 summit begins amid heightened geopolitical tensions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Nov 2022 08:59

Over 120 world leaders are expected to attend the summit on Monday and Tuesday.

COP27 summit racing against the climate clock

The COP27 summit is set to start on Sunday in Egypt, Sharm El-Sheikh, with representatives of over 200 countries expected to attend the event.

The world has in recent decades witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in climatic change, with some expecting the situation might get exacerbated in light of strained geopolitical conflicts.

Droughts have devasted several countries across the globe, including Kenya which saw a catastrophic decline in elephant population as 205 were killed in the span of only 10 months.

Other African countries are exposed to higher risks of starvation due to droughts, including Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan, to name a few.

But the consequences of climate change are diverse: the scorching heatwaves across the EU, the devastating cyclones in the Caribbean in northern America, and the flooding disasters which took place in Pakistan and Nigeria, not only killing hundreds but causing thousands to be displaced... these only add up to the list of catastrophes of immeasurable scale to the climate crisis.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said, "Report after report has painted a clear and bleak picture. COP27 must lay the foundations for much faster, bolder climate action now and in this crucial decade, when the global climate fight will be won or lost."

"We need to drastically cut greenhouse emissions by 45% by 2030" to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late-19th-century levels.

If temperatures go beyond that limit, the Earth is at risk of becoming unhabitable.

But scientific forecasts show frightening outcomes: by the end of the decade, carbon pollution will increase by 10% and the earth's surgace will heat up to 2.8°C.

The provisions set by the Paris Agreement would barely slash a few tenths of a degree, according to reports.

"Our planet is on course for reaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible and forever bake in catastrophic temperature rise," Guterres said.

"We need to move from tipping points to turning points for hope."

Climate disasters are already hurting countries, communities & economies.

Next week, #COP27 will start in Egypt and present a crucial opportunity for leaders to make meaningful progress on climate promises.#ClimateAction must become the global priority we need it to be. pic.twitter.com/sUzzFSDISt
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 4, 2022

What are the implications of the Summit?

The COP27 implies a direct and necessary transition from negotiations to policy implementation, with major economies, including the US, the EU, and China, pouring billions into the climate sector.

Economic turmoil has made the process of reversing climate change ever harder as much of the West is experiencing massive inflation and high gas prices, including debt and food shortages in the Global South which is, in large part, owed to the conflict in Ukraine.

Over 120 world leaders are expected to attend the summit on Monday and Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden has said he will show up, but only after the results of the midterm elections are announced.

As for China's Xi Jinping, it has already been made clear that he will not attend the summit.

On 7-8 November during #COP27, the Sharm El Sheikh #Climate Implementation Summit will provide a platform of the highest level with a view of creating the much needed political momentum & unity around #climateaction at a difficult moment for the globe.#TogetherForImplementation pic.twitter.com/WEEkFBMw8e
— COP27 (@COP27P) November 5, 2022

Relations between the two major powers have hit rock bottom since US House leader Nancy Pelosi made a provoking visit to Taiwan in early August and embargoed the production and sale of microchips to China.

If both were to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 that will be held in Bali later this month, things could take another turn - hopefully for the better.

Other major world leaders include newly elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who vowed to restore the Amazon forest - the lungs of the planet - which suffered tremendous losses under outgoing Jair Bolsonaro's policies.

"The destruction of the Amazon...is accelerating almost to the point of no return." The lungs of the world being destroyed before our eyes.

There is no planet B, no time to waste. #ProtectForests #ActOnClimate #ClimateEmergency #climate #nature #rewilding #cop27egypt #cop27 pic.twitter.com/mvr5zEpcY6
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) November 5, 2022

This year, the COP will be revealing many of the disparities which are often not so conspicuous, particularly in terms of wealth inequalities, as well as the level of the devastating effects the climate crisis has on poorer countries.

Some expectations are set relative to the establishment of a fund that would assist poorer nations with reparations caused by the West's fossil fuel addiction, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said on Friday.

"The most vulnerable countries are tired, they are frustrated," Stiell said. "The time to have an open and honest discussion on loss and damage is now."

But it is unlikely that the US and the EU would enable the setup of such a program.

As the EU is comprised of former colonial empires and the US has been founded on a series of imperialist-led aggressions, the practice of oppressing the Global South and blaming the poor for their own misfortune is simply ingrained in the history of these powerful nations.