In their final statement early Sunday morning, the roughly 200 states also reaffirmed their earlier decision to phase out coal. A farewell to oil and gas is not mentioned. The declaration thus falls short of the demands of many states, climate activists and environmentalists.
“It wasn’t easy. We worked around the clock,” said COP President Sameh Shoukry Sunday morning at the end of the conference. “Any slip-ups that there may have been were not intentional.” The talks between the representatives from around 200 countries were sometimes tense, but “in the end we delivered,” said Shoukry. The agreement on a new pot of money for the consequences of climate damage in poorer countries gives hope to millions of those affected around the world.
The new compensation fund is intended to cushion the inevitable consequences of global warming – such as increasingly frequent droughts, floods and storms, but also rising sea levels and desertification. The issue was the main point of contention throughout the two-week conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, which was extended by more than 36 hours.
No sums mentioned
The decision does not mention any sums for the new fund or who exactly should pay in. This will be clarified later. Developing countries that are particularly at risk are to be favoured. The EU in particular had insisted on this limitation.
In the final declaration, the states are also asked to improve their largely inadequate climate protection plans by the next climate conference at the latest. This will take place in the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2023. The improvements remain voluntary, there is no obligation.
The conference, to which around 34,000 participants traveled to the Red Sea, went into overtime on Friday evening. In the night of Saturday, after sluggish and sometimes chaotic processes in negotiating circles, unrest broke out. After tough deliberations, the breakthrough finally followed early on Sunday morning.
The US initially blocked the new compensation fund, while the group of more than 130 developing countries known as the G77, together with China, built up pressure. After initial reluctance, the European Union finally changed its mind.
What role does China play?
One of the controversial aspects of the issue is China’s role. The country, which occupies first place in the emission of climate-damaging emissions, wants to continue to be treated as a developing country in international climate protection. This was stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol 30 years ago. Western countries no longer want to classify the country as a recipient country because of its economic power and its role as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. China’s negotiator Xie Zhenhua said developing countries should get the money but gave priority to “vulnerable states”.
targets missed
UN Secretary-General António Guterres accused the UN climate conference of having missed key goals. Guterres said on Sunday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh that it had not been possible to bring about the “drastic reductions in emissions” that were necessary to curb global warming.
“Our planet is in the emergency room,” the UN Secretary-General underscored the drama of the situation. “We need to drastically reduce emissions and the climate conference failed to address this.”
Programmed climate hell
The environmental protection organization Greenpeace reacted to the climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh with mixed feelings: “With the current result, the path towards climate hell is inevitable, because there is no end in sight for oil and gas. 5-degree target is a long way off. Nevertheless, one success can be recorded: A financial pot for climate-related damage and losses could be established,” it said in a broadcast. An assessment by the Alliance for Climate Justice came to a similar conclusion. “Instead of aimless processes, we need ambitious action on emission reductions, adaptation guidelines, gender equality and climate finance,” it said in a broadcast.
Source: Nachrichten
