The 27th UN Climate Change Summit, COP27, hosted from today to November 18 in the tourist resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, does not open under the best auspices. In what is a race against time to save the planet from the increasingly tangible and devastating effects of global warming, the context of the negotiations is marked by tensions fueled on the one hand by the controversy over human rights in the host country, on the other. from fears of the global recession, high energy prices, the food crisis and the relaunch of fossil fuels as direct consequences of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, to overshadow the crucial annual climate event there are the midterm elections in the USA, on November 8, on which media attention is focused, in addition to the skyrocketing rivalry between the two most polluting powers, the United States and China. These are the expectations and the stakes, one year after the Cop26 in Glasgow, which was certainly more charged with expectations after the stop for the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first ‘highlight’ of the controversial appointment in Egypt will be the summit of leaders on 7 and 8 November: in all 125 participants including heads of state and government, in addition to diplomats from as many as 200 countries and the record number of 40,000 presences among exponents of NGOs, civil society, scholars, the private sector, defenders of rights. Among the prominent names of the summit, US President Joe Biden, the new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, will be present for Italy. Among the excellent absences that of the president of China – the most polluting country in the world – Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The participants are divided into two large groups, engaged in tight negotiations to reach a final agreement. On the one hand, that of the rich and more developed countries, responsible for the highest percentage of global pollution, led by the G7, under the German presidency. On the other hand, the G77 + China group – or 134 emerging and poor countries – currently chaired by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, who will renew his pressure to obtain the funds previously promised as compensation and support for the energy transition. .
The recent report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have warned that “the window of opportunity is closing” to stem the inevitable rise in temperatures that jeopardize compliance with the Agreement. Paris, signed in 2015 to replace the previous Kyoto Protocol, in the context of Cop21. Numbers in hand, the world is moving away from the commitment to contain global warming within 2 degrees – preferably 1.5 degrees – compared to pre-industrial levels. UNEP’s forecasts are alarming: by the end of the century, global warming risks reaching 2.6 degrees, a “catastrophic” level that makes “climate action on all fronts urgent now”. Under the current commitments of most countries – a 5% reduction in emissions by 2030 and under some conditions by 10% – there is a 66% risk that warming will be 2.6 degrees by the end of the century and at best it would still reach 2.4 degrees.
For months ago, discussing the choice of Egypt as the venue for the great event, with NGOs and human rights activists who denounce being excluded. Clear and strong appeals from the four corners of the planet to obtain the release of hundreds of political prisoners, but not only: among them, the activist Alaa Abdelfatah, who has been on a hunger strike since April and who will also stop drinking on Sunday . The government of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi fears anti-government demonstrations and on some social networks there are rumors of a large protest demonstration during the days of the summit
The background – Cop27, who are the leaders who hold the future of the world in their hands
Update hour by hour
10.40 – Coldiretti: “Cop27 opens after the hottest 10 months ever in Italy”
The COP 27 climate change summit opens in a 2022 that has so far been classified in Italy as the hottest year ever with a temperature in the first ten months of 2022 even higher than +1.07 degrees compared to the historical average, but precipitations are also recorded which are reduced by more than 1/3. This is what emerges from the analysis of Coldiretti on the occasion of COP 27 in Egypt based on Isac Cnr data, which has been carrying out surveys in Italy since 1800. The climatic anomaly compared to the average – underlines Coldiretti – was more evident in the north (+ 1.41 degrees) with respect to the center (+1.01 degrees) and to the south (+0.85 degrees), confirming the ongoing climate changes. The rise in temperatures was accompanied by the explosion of extreme events in 2022 with an average of more than 9 per day on the Peninsula amid droughts, water bombs, storms, windstorms, tornadoes and violent hailstorms, according to the Coldiretti elaborations on ESWD data, which have caused damage in national agriculture – underlines Coldiretti – for a value that already exceeds 6 billion euros since the beginning of the year, equal to 10% of national production.
10.28 – Macron asks the French what initiative France should take in a selfie video
French President Emmanuel Macron posted a selfie video on social platforms asking the public to send him questions about what France should do about climate change and biodiversity. Thousands of responses came quickly. Many have been hostile or questioned his sincerity. But they also included rigorous questions about fossil fuel subsidies, sea pollution, and nuclear energy. Macron will take part in the UN climate talks that will open in Egypt on Sunday. He promised to answer questions starting next week. Macron has pledged to make fighting climate change a top priority, but has come under widespread criticism for not doing enough.
10.25 – Sunak: “We must hurry to switch to renewables”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to promise acceleration towards the UK’s transition to renewable energy when he speaks at the UN’s COP27 climate change summit on Monday. Sunak made the decision to participate in climate talks on November 2, overturning a much-criticized plan by environmental activists and political opponents to skip the annual meeting. He will tell politicians and businessmen at the event that Britain will work with international allies to accelerate its shift to cleaner energy sources, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the need to do so. even more urgent. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the despicable manipulation of energy prices have only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels,” Sunak said in a statement released by his office. “We need to move further and faster to switch to renewable energy and I will ensure that the UK is at the forefront of this global movement.”
09.15 – Sources from Cairo: “An attempt is being made to organize a meeting between al-Sisi and Meloni”
According to a high-level Egyptian source, a meeting between the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on the sidelines of COP27 which begins tomorrow in Sharm El-Sheikh, is not excluded. “It is still being organized”, the premier will be in Sharm El-Sheikh tomorrow and Monday. The invitation to COP27 was renewed by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Meloni after the government took office. The Egyptian president had congratulated the prime minister, hoping to soon develop “bilateral relations” between Egypt and Italy.