Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Satyendra Prasad, Fiji’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, represents a country that is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “Fossil fuels must be phased out,” Prasad said. “Who says it has to be phased out? Anyone who says they should be phased out… Tell us, show us the rate at which you are exponentially increasing your “phasing out”? Show us the numbers and be convincing. There is no question, there is no stable planet for all of us, including those who advocate a slower phase-out, that fossil fuels are not part of a 1.5 degree feature for the planet. That era is gone, the time has passed, and all we need is commitment, energy and pace, and global solidarity to allow us to phase out, period.” The summit is now likely to be extended beyond its scheduled end point on Friday, observers say, with all-night meetings possibly in an effort to reach agreement and plug gaps in the document. Bob Ward, director of policy and communications at the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, said the document was far from being a final agreement between all countries. “It shows little evidence of progress,” he said. “I think it is now certain that this summit will continue past the scheduled end point over the weekend. “There is a lot of work for the negotiators to do, including all-night sessions that will test everyone’s endurance. I hope that politicians and policy makers around the world will push their negotiating teams to pursue an ambitious and cooperative outcome from COP27. We can see the growing effects of climate change all around us damaging lives and livelihoods. We are running out of time and the world cannot afford for this summit to fail.” So far, there is not much optimism emerging around the lack of ambition of the Egyptian Presidencies COP27 cover project. It’s standard for COPs to be marked by backlash, slow progress, frustration and drama in the run-up to their endgame, but even with that in mind, the noises coming out of COP27 are pretty grim. — James Murray (@James_BG) November 17, 2022 Damian Carrington Away from the hotels of Sharm El Sheikh, there are reminders around the world of what is at stake in the draft negotiations. The heavy rainfall behind recent devastating floods in Nigeria, Niger and Chad made a climate crisis about 80 times more likely, according to a study by the World Weather Attribution Group. The finding is the latest stark example of the severe effects global warming is already having on communities, even with just a 1C increase in global temperatures to date. It adds pressure on countries at Cop27 to take meaningful action to protect and compensate those affected. “The analysis found a very clear fingerprint of anthropogenic climate change,” said Professor Maarten van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. “As scientists, we are not in a position to tell the Cop27 negotiators whether it should be a damage or loss fund, or a facility or a mosaic of solutions, as they are all being discussed,” he said. “But what’s very clear from the science is that this is a real and present problem, and it’s particularly the poorest countries that are being hit very hard, so it’s clear that solutions are needed.” Read more here: Updated at 09:35 GMT The location for the next cop… The new draft decision on future COPs confirms that the UAE will host COP28 next year (but in December). However, COP29 in 2024 will be in “Eastern Europe” (so Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are signaling their interest) and COP30 in 2025 will be in “Latin America and the Caribbean”. So Lula’s Brazil? But when Oz? — Leo Hickman (@LeoHickman) November 17, 2022 Updated at 09:35 GMT Johan Rockström, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, like the boy in the Emperor’s New Clothes, brings clarity. Time to get serious at #COP27. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister says tackling climate change ‘isn’t about fossil fuels’ is like saying the economy isn’t about money. The only path to a manageable future for humanity is to begin phasing out fossil fuels. Now. — Johan Rockström (@jrockstrom) November 17, 2022 Updated at 09:35 GMT A reminder of how world leaders got to the summit. Updated at 09:20 GMT Our correspondent Oliver Milman provides a glimmer of hope detailing 18 countries, including the UK, France and Australia, that have signed up to a US initiative presented at Cop27 to net public sector emissions by 2050. The scheme targets emissions from government use of electricity, cars and other sources, which can be significant. The US Department of Defense, for example, is not only the largest consumer of energy in the US, but also the largest institutional consumer of oil in the world from the fuel used in its trucks, tanks, ships and other vehicles. John Kerry, the US climate envoy, said the agreement showed there was “a growing global consensus on the role of governments in the transition” to clean energy. Updated at 09:36 GMT As world politicians face tough debates on the draft in the coming hours, public opinion appears to support the idea that richer countries should pay financial damages for climate action in poor countries. Damian Carrington, our environment editor writes: A significant majority of people in the UK believe the country has a responsibility to pay for climate action in poorer and vulnerable countries, a poll for the Guardian shows. The issue of rich, polluting countries providing significant funding to developing countries is central to Cop27’s climate success. The poll told respondents that the UK’s total emissions over time are among the highest in the world, while poorer countries have produced very few emissions. The results showed that 49% of people said the UK had a responsibility to provide climate finance, with 31% saying the UK didn’t and 20% saying they didn’t know. A separate poll of all G7 countries found that 65% of people agreed that richer countries should pay more of the cost of climate action because they have historically been responsible for more damage, with 11% disagreeing. Read more here: Updated at 09:20 GMT
Recap the main points in the draft
These seem to be the main points of interest in the draft so far. It’s 20 pages though and more may appear in the next couple of hours.
There are no details of a fund to finance damages and losses for poorer countries It “welcomes” that the parties agreed for the first time to include “issues related to loss and damage responsive financing arrangements” on the summit agenda. No call to phase out all fossil fuels underlines the importance of making every effort to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global average temperature well below 2C and continuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C
Updated at 09:15 GMT As Fiona Harvey says, this draft reiterates the aim from last year’s Glasgow Climate Accord to “accelerate measures to phase out unabated coal energy and to phase out and rationalize inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”. However, it does not require phasing out all fossil fuels, as has been called for by India and the EU. Some context as to where this draft document stands in the long history of COP discussions. Last year at COP26 in Glasgow was the first time that a decision agreed by all parties even mentioned fossil fuels and coal as part of the climate. Updated at 08:33 GMT Climate Home notes in the draft: Wise words from @ClimateHome for today’s #COP27 ‘cover’ text “This is not a text that has been discussed by countries, but elements that reflect what Egypt has gathered from the consultations… Formal negotiations on the text have not yet started.”https://t.co/WhgqFCDqGm — Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) November 17, 2022 Greenpeace International’s head of the Cop27 delegation, Yeb Saño, pulls no punches, saying: “The Cop27 presidency is putting the pedal to the metal on the highway to climate hell.” Saño continued: “We came to Sharm el-Sheikh to demand real action to meet and exceed commitments on climate finance and adaptation, to phase out all fossil fuels and for rich countries to pay for the losses and the damage caused to the most vulnerable communities. within developing countries by agreeing a damage and loss financing fund. “None of that is offered in this draft. Climate justice will not be served if this sets the bar for a Cop27 outcome. “Having not even mentioned fossil fuels in the first place, the draft text is a disclaimer for capturing the urgency expressed by many countries to see all oil and gas added to coal for at least a phase-out. It’s time to end denial, the fossil fuel era must end fast.” Updated at 09:15 GMT
What to expect today
Amid the explosion of analysis surrounding the 20-page draft, Patrick Greenfield, our correspondent in Sharm el-Sheikh, gives an update on what to expect from today. “We are at the business end of the climate summit and all eyes are on the political outcome, known as the ‘coverage decision’. This morning, a draft was finally published. My colleague Fiona Harvey examines the 20-page text to understand its meaning. In theory, Cop27 is scheduled to end tomorrow afternoon, but nobody thinks that will happen. The summit is likely to last into the weekend as countries argue over what should and should not be included in the final wording. We will bring you updates throughout the day from Egypt as negotiations enter the final stage.” Updated at 09:16 GMT Simon Evans, senior policy editor at Carbon Brief also points to the failure to report all fossil fuels. Not including a call…
