COP27 deal may repel West bid to skirt blame
SHARM EL SHEIKH: The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt appeared to repel efforts by developed nations to shift onus of action and funding to some developing countries like India and China, setting up what appeared to be hard red lines that meant consensus was elusive less than 24 hours before a Friday deadline.
Released as a “non-paper”, or an unofficial draft, by Egypt’s COP27 president, the 20-page text retains the distinction between rich and poor nations and highlights the Paris Agreement principles of “equity” and “common but differentiated responsibilities”, which relates to the fundamental understanding that countries will act as per their national circumstances and respective capabilities.
“Time is not on our side, let us come together now and deliver by Friday,” COP27 President Sameh Shoukry said in a letter to delegates published on Thursday.
Key among the issues discussed was the 1.5°C goal. COP27 countries, the document said, “stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels,”.
It goes on to point out that developed countries have failed to mitigate emissions based on their fair share and historical responsibility, a portion that is likely to be of particular contention.
“Expresses deep regret that developed countries who have the most capabilities financially and technologically to lead in reducing their emissions continue to fall short in doing so, and are taking inadequate and unambitious goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, while they continue to emit and disproportionately consume the global carbon budget,” the draft said.
Another issue, key from India’s perspective and that of several other developing nations that rely on cheaper coal for energy, was on how to stress on efforts to phase it out. The early draft did a balancing act by calling for phasing down of coal and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, but cushioned it by stating that the efforts will be based on national circumstances and just transition.
“Stressing the importance of enhancing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix at all level as part of diversifying energy mixes and systems, and encourages the continued efforts to accelerate measures towards the phase down of unabated coal power and phase out and rationalise inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, in line with national circumstances
and recognizing the need for support towards just transitions.”
There was, however, no mention of gas and oil – fuels that rich countries use and the ones India wanted included – in the text.
On climate finance, the draft text hit out at the “lack of ambition” in raising adequate climate finance by developed parties. “Notes with concern the growing gap between the needs of developing country parties, in particular due to the increasing impacts of climate change and increased indebtedness, and the support provided and mobilised to complement their efforts to implement their nationally determined contributions, highlighting that current estimates of such needs are in the scale of 5.6 trillion USD up to 2030, while the global annual flows to developing countries”, it notes, is 31–32% of the annual investment needed.
The text also expresses grave concern that the goal of developed country parties to mobilise jointly USD 100 billion per year by 2020 has not yet been met and urged them to meet the goal and address the shortfall to USD 100 billion since 2020.
In one of the contentious domains, Loss and Damage funding, which involves a financing mechanism to aid countries suffering climate crisis impact like flooding and droughts, there was no text. HT reported on Wednesday that rich nations are attempting to cast the funding net on India and China, classifying them as “emerging economies” and major polluters who need to do more.
Overall, the cover decision encourages wealthy countries to increase support and align funding flows with the 1.5°C goal.
This is not the final text and it may change significantly. Egypt being a developing country itself has been trying to reflect the concerns of developing country groups.
“The Paris Agreement says in black and white. Under Article 2, it states that the entire Paris Agreement should be guided by based on equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. This is a conversation that takes place every year. We are patrons at this time and we are trying to find a common ground. We will have to find the right language to accommodate differentiation. We are aware of the various positions and we are working now to accommodate the parties’ views but also the legal agreement that we ratified together,” Egypt’s COP27 ambassador Wael Aboulmagd said.
Negotiators said the task to find consensus will be difficult.
“It’s going to be quite a long and difficult journey to the end of this process,” European Union climate policy chief Frans Timmermans told a news conference. “Today, I’m afraid I’m not sure yet where these talks will land.”
“If this COP fails, we all lose.”