Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1484790
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2022 WORLD NEWS A fraught UN summit wrapped up Sunday with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries cope with devastat- ing climate impacts -- but also anger over a failure to be more ambitious on cutting emissions. The two-week talks in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Sheikh, which at times ap- peared to teeter on the brink of collapse, delivered a major breakthrough on a fund for cli- mate "loss and damage". "…Despite the difficulties and challenges of our times, the divergence of views, level of ambition or apprehension, we remain committed to the fight against climate change…. we rose to the occasion, upheld our responsibilities and undertook the important decisive political decisions that millions around the world expect from us," said Sameh Shoukry, president of COP27 and Egypt's foreign minister. Pakistani climate minister Sherry Rehman said COP27 "responded to the voices of the vulnerable". "We have struggled for 30 years on this path, and today, in Sharm el-Sheikh, this journey has achieved its first positive milestone," she told the sum- mit. As the sun came up on Sunday 20 November, tired delegates applauded when the fund was adopted following almost two extra days of round-the-clock negotiations. However, jubilation over that achievement was countered by stern warnings. "This outcome moves us for- ward," said Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change. "We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss and dam- age – deliberating over how we address the impacts on com- munities whose lives and liveli- hoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change." UN chief Antonio Guterres said the talks had "taken an im- portant step towards justice" with the loss and damage fund, but fell short in pushing for the urgent carbon-cutting needed to tackle global warming. "Our planet is still in the emer- gency room," Guterres said. "We need to drastically reduce emissions now and this is an is- sue this COP did not address." British PM Rishi Sunak al- so warned that "more must be done", while French President Emmanuel Macron proposed another summit in Paris ahead of COP28 in Dubai to agree on "a new financial pact" for vul- nerable nations. 'Stonewalled by emitters' A final COP27 statement cov- ering the broad efforts to grap- ple with a warming planet held the line on the aspirational goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-in- dustrial levels. It also included language on renewable energy for the first time, while reiterating previ- ous calls to accelerate "efforts towards the phasedown of una- bated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsi- dies". However, that failed to go much further than a similar de- cision from last year's COP26 meeting in Glasgow on key issues around cutting plan- et-heating pollution. European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was "disappoint- ed", adding that more than 80 nations had backed a stronger emissions pledge. "What we have in front of us… doesn't bring enough added efforts from major emitters to increase and accelerate their emission cuts," said Timmer- mans, who – 24 hours earlier – had threatened to walk out of the talks. Britain's Alok Sharma, who chaired COP26 in Glasgow, said a passage on energy had been "weakened, in the final min- utes". German Foreign Minister An- nalena Baerbock said she was frustrated that the emissions cuts and fossil fuel phase-out were "stonewalled by a number of large emitters and oil pro- ducers". Criticised by some delegations for a lack of transparency dur- ing negotiations, Egyptian For- eign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the COP27 chair, said any mis- steps were "certainly not inten- tional", and that he worked to avoid any "backslide" by parties. 'Loss and damage' The deal on loss and damage gathered critical momentum during the talks. Developing nations relent- lessly pushed for the fund, fi- nally succeeding in getting the backing of wealthy polluters who have been long fearful of open-ended liability. During the conference, fi- nancial pledges were made for loss and damage from multi- ple countries including: Aus- tria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, and New Zealand, joining Denmark and Scotland, which had made pledges previ- ously. A statement from the Alliance of Small Island States, compris- ing islands whose very existence is threatened by sea levels ris- ing, said the loss and damage deal was "historic". "The agreements made at COP27 are a win for our entire world," said Molwyn Joseph of Antigua and Barbuda, who is the chair of AOSIS. "We have shown those who have felt neglected that we hear you, we see you, and we are giv- ing you the respect and care you deserve." With around 1.2C of warm- ing so far, the world has seen a cascade of climate-driven ex- tremes, shining a spotlight on the plight of developing coun- tries faced with escalating dis- asters, as well as an energy and food price crisis and ballooning debt. The fund will be geared to- wards developing nations "that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change" – language that had been requested by the EU. 'On the brink' The Europeans had also want- ed to broaden the funder base to cough up cash – code for China and other better-off emerging countries. The final loss and damage text left many of the thornier ques- tions to be dealt with by a tran- sitional committee, which will report to next year's climate meeting in Dubai to get the funding operational. The fund will focus on what can be done now to support loss and damage resources, but the agreement does not provide for liability or compensation, said a US State Department spokes- person. Scientists say limiting warm- ing to 1.5C is a far safer guard- rail against catastrophic climate impacts, with the world cur- rently way off track and heading for around 2.5C under current commitments and plans. "The historic outcome on loss and damage at COP27 shows international cooperation is possible," said Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and Chair of The Elders. "Equally, the renewed com- mitment on the 1.5C global warming limit was a source of relief. However, none of this changes the fact that the world remains on the brink of climate catastrophe." Progress on adaptation The issue of climate adapta- tion also topped the agenda at COP27. The conference con- cluded with significant progress on the issue, with governments agreeing on the way to move forward on the Global Goal on Adaptation and new pledges to- taling more than $230m, to the Adaptation Fund at COP27. COP27 ends with agreement to fund climate damages, no progress on emission cuts UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (left) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri hold a joint news conference at the end of the UN climate summit COP27