COP27 bulletin: Visionless summit flails into week two

Another waste of time? They need some excuses for the next 27 COPs after all. A downbeat assessment from supporters of climate obsession.
– – –
As ministers fly in for week two of Cop27, what does winning look like for the Egyptian presidency? asks Climate Home News.

Do they just want to sell some hiked-up hotel rooms and snorkels and get a few snaps of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Joe Biden trading jokes? Or do they want something meaningful on climate?

A loss and damage finance facility would be a huge Egyptian gift to the developing world. But, as John Kerry said on Saturday, “that’s just not happening” because the US and others still fear being sued for their historic pollution.

Instead, the rich world is offering a hodge-podge of initiatives like insurance and early warning systems. Some vulnerable countries are working with them on this.

But the sums of money involved pale in comparison to the toll of disasters like Pakistan’s floods. And all these worthy initiatives don’t need a Cop to go ahead.

To the extent that Egypt has outlined a goal, it is to promote “implementation”.

So it’s the coalitions and the side deals in the trade fair bit of Cop that matter to the presidency.

Well, the trade fair is heavy on oil and gas greenwashing. A flagship initiative to finance African renewables folded due to a bad choice of partner.

In the negotiating rooms, there’s no consensus on how to strengthen national emissions cuts and trade carbon. A draft political statement for the summit – the “cover text” – has yet to appear.

If there’s any vision behind this Cop, the Sharm Pact is the place to show it. Otherwise, it will be remembered for jailed activists, gas deals and rivers of sewage.

Full article here.