Ambassadors and representatives gathered to officially open the UN climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Opening speeches set the stage for the most important issues amid multiple global crises from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the growing cost of living.
Activists are being side-lined in Egypt
After warnings that protest would be side-lined at COP27, activists say they have been shut out of sharing their stories at the UN climate conference.
Ugandan activist Nyombi Morris says he and fellow campaigners are being denied access to negotiating tables and pushed to the fringes of the event.
“We came to represent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people,” he told Euronews Green.
“But they are not allowing us to enter the room or share our stories.”
Climate compensation is on the agenda for the first time
The opening of COP27 was delayed by disagreements over whether climate compensation should be formally discussed this year. But, for the first time in history, funding for loss and damage has made it onto the agenda in Egypt.
Vulnerable nations most affected by climate change have been pushing for discussions around climate compensation for years.
President of Senegal and President of the African Union Macky Sall told the conference that COP27 was a chance for countries to either “make history” or “be a victim of history”.
A global warning system against extreme weather for everyone
The UN has unveiled a plan to create an early warning system against extreme and dangerous weather for everyone on Earth.
It will cost €3.1 billion – the equivalent of just €0.50 per person per year for the next five years. The plan was created by the World Meteorological Organisation and is supported by a joint statement from 50 countries
“Countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality eight times higher than countries with high coverage,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Countries band together to keep deforestation pledges
More than 140 countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030 at COP26 last year. It was praised as one of the big announcements from last year’s summit.
But according to experts, little has been done to pass new conservation laws or financial measures needed to protect forests since then.
More than 25 countries – accounting for 35 percent of the world’s forests – launched the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP). The aim is to accelerate momentum to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Source
News Agencies
