UN chief urges unity, action to tackle global climate crisis
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt. – This year’s COP27, convened after a year under the shadow of climate disasters and an energy crisis, appeared to have made some breakthrough to include loss and damage compensation into talks, in response to developing nations’ persistent demands, and perhaps offered a chance for leaders around the world to make efforts together and take concrete actions.
Yet, as delegates officially entered two weeks of negotiations, experts warned on Monday that as global efforts to tackle global warming are needed more than ever at this “watershed moment” on climate action, politicization and pointing fingers at others at the summit will only damage trust between countries and block joint efforts.
It is the US that has been taking politicization of the climate issue to a new level before the summit. With Washington sparing no effort to use this summit to shore up its leadership on climate issues, it is shifting blame onto China over climate issues and sowing discord between China and other developing countries. Observers said such behavior showed the US is jealous about China’s popular role among developing countries in dealing with global warming and other climate issues.
Humanity is in “the fight of our lives” as climate change intensifies droughts, floods and heatwaves, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders on Monday, at talks in Egypt on curbing global warming.
“Co-operate or perish,” he told leaders at the COP27 summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. “It is either a climate solidarity pact, or a collective suicide pact,” media reported.
Speaking at a side event at COP27 on Sunday, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua introduced China’s progress on climate change in recent years.
“China has actively implemented the Paris Agreement and further enhanced its nationally determined contribution, aiming to reach carbon peak and achieve carbon neutralization in a strong, orderly and effective manner. China has made great progress in this regard,” said Xie.
“I hope the conference this time will meet the demands of developing countries as much as possible, as it is being held in Egypt, a developing nation,” he said.
In addition to addressing unresolved issues from last year’s COP26 summit in Glasgow, discussions about financing for and mechanisms to compensate the loss and damage caused by climate change are likely to be the main focuses at this year’s COP summit, said Teng Fei, Deputy Director of the Energy Environ
ment Economy Institute, Tsinghua University.
Delegates from nearly 200 countries kicked off the UN climate summit in Egypt on Sunday. Diplomats approved discussion on matters relating to “funding arrangements responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including a focus on addressing loss and damage.”
The agenda item was proposed by Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China dur
ing inter-sessional work at Bonn, Germany, in June this year. It envisages compensating developing nations for mounting damage linked to climate change, media reported.
The loss and damage agenda, which comes in response to developing countries’ concerns, is likely to be established during the summit and become a political legacy of COP27, said Li Shuo, senior global policy advisor from Greenpeace East Asia. – Global Times.