Why can’t COP27 just be a virtual meeting? Your questions answered | CBC News
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As world leaders and high-profile delegates talk about and debate the query of easy methods to clear up local weather change at COP27 in Egypt, we listened to your questions concerning the local weather convention.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals.
What’s COP27?
Yearly the United Nations holds these conferences to get governments to agree on steps to restrict international warming as international locations battle to chop down on greenhouse fuel emissions.
COP stands for “Convention of the Events” and 27 simply means it is the twenty seventh such occasion for the reason that first COP assembly was held in Berlin in March 1995. This 12 months it’s happening in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, till Nov. 18.
What’s the aim for COP27?
In line with opening remarks by UN Secretary-Normal António Guterres the last word aim is to encourage motion in direction of the world’s collective local weather targets dedicated to with the Paris Settlement in 2015.
So basically, the overarching aim is limiting the worldwide common temperature rise this century to lower than 2 C, ideally nearer to 1.5 C above pre-industrial ranges. Guterres mentioned that aim will solely be attainable if the world can obtain net-zero emissions by 2050.
Julie Segal, a local weather finance skilled from Environmental Defence, who’s attending the convention says “the litmus take a look at for this COP to be a hit is to maneuver ahead with what’s known as a loss and harm fund mechanism.”
She says loss and harm funding would guarantee rich international locations are offering funds to the international locations bearing the heaviest burden of local weather change but have contributed much less to the local weather disaster itself.
World leaders have to hearken to what the International South wants when it comes to financing after which ship on the mitigation efforts, Segal mentioned.
WATCH | Who the International South says ought to pay for the consequences of local weather change:
Weak international locations are bearing the brunt of local weather change, despite the fact that they aren’t those driving it. At COP27, leaders from the International South will inform wealthy nations — the world’s highest greenhouse fuel emitters — that it is time to pay for damages.
Alden Meyer — a senior affiliate at E3G, a local weather change think-tank — who has been attending COP because it first began, says that slicing down on emissions globally and getting growing international locations to adapt to local weather change are additionally principal problems with focus this 12 months, together with loss and harm funding.
“Cross slicing all of them is finance [and] the necessity to mobilize considerably extra finance to do all three of these issues,” he mentioned.
What’s at stake in these negotiations?
“The way forward for the planet is at stake,” mentioned Meyer.
The UN secretary-general delivered an analogous message when the convention started.
“Humanity has a alternative: co-operate or perish,” Guterres instructed delegates. He urged them to speed up the transition from fossil fuels and velocity up funding to poorer international locations struggling underneath the consequences of local weather change up to now.
Regardless of a long time of local weather talks, international locations have failed to scale back international greenhouse fuel emissions, and their pledges to take action sooner or later are inadequate to maintain the local weather from warming to a stage scientists say might be catastrophic.
Guterres even went on to make the grim declaration that the shortage of progress up to now had the world dashing down a “freeway to hell.”
Has there been any progress since COP26?
Ultimately 12 months’s assembly, world leaders agreed to transition away from fossil fuels and minimize greenhouse fuel emissions sooner than prior to now. All 193 international locations concerned within the Paris Settlement agreed to revisit their nationally decided contributions (NDCs).
Most international locations, together with Canada, haven’t submitted an up to date NDC since COP26. Right here is the place you possibly can see which international locations have made submissions and the way sturdy their new commitments are.
Though international progress has been sluggish, Meyer mentioned some has been made since COP26 in Glasgow final 12 months.
In line with present commitments, world emissions will enhance by about 10 per cent by 2030, in comparison with 2010 ranges, Meyer mentioned. He notes that represents an enchancment over final 12 months’s evaluation, which discovered international locations have been on a path to extend emissions by about 14 per cent.
“So sure, we’re making progress however nowhere close to the tempo that we have to, and we do not have sufficient time,” he mentioned.
Who’s Canada sending to COP27?
In line with Surroundings and Local weather Change Canada, this nation’s core delegation is round 335 members.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t attending, as a substitute Surroundings and Local weather Change Minister Steven Guilbeault is main the delegation. It consists of politicians and representatives from the enterprise and labour sectors, from most provinces and territories and there are additionally youth and Indigenous representatives.
Who pays for Canada’s attendees?
The federal authorities is paying for the participation of federal officers, Surroundings and Local weather Change Canada mentioned to CBC Information in an e-mail.
Additionally it is serving to pay for as much as six representatives from every group: Indigenous Leaders, assist workers, parliamentarians, youth representatives, and environmental non-governmental organizations.
All different individuals, whereas accredited to the Canadian delegation, have coated their very own prices.
Ottawa additionally says they’re working with all delegates to make sure that all carbon emissions from journey to the convention are offset.
Why cannot it’s a digital convention?
It could be inequitable, mentioned Eddy Pérez, worldwide local weather diplomacy director at advocacy group Local weather Motion Community Canada.
“This assembly is for international illustration. And with regards to international illustration, for individuals who are, are 12,13,14 hours away — the place the time zones are fully totally different, it is inequitable to pressure them to align to our time zones,” he mentioned.
Segal agrees, saying it is necessary for delegations from the international locations most weak to the local weather disaster to have the ability to meet in individual as equals.
“What’s actually necessary right here is for everybody to return collectively, for all of these voices to be invited to the identical desk in order that persons are held accountable for the guarantees that they made, folks have their ears open to those that are on the entrance traces of the local weather disaster,” she mentioned.
