In November 2022, the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. For 15 days and several nights, government representatives from almost 200 countries negotiated, discussed and debated the future shape of international climate protection. The states had set themselves the goal of developing mechanisms and rules that would implement the announcements of the previous conferences. In addition, financing climate protection and measures to adapt to climate change were high on the agenda.
COP27 was treated as the summit of implementation and the meeting was on the verge of collapse. In the end a compromise was reached as well as a joint final declaration. After years of debate, the Parties agreed for the first time on a joint fund to compensate climate damage in developing countries. This fund is intended to cushion the unavoidable consequences of climate change especially in those countries, that are particularly at risk but contribute little to climate change themselves. Regrettably essential questions, such as the financial volume of the fund and which countries will have to pay into it, were postponed to the COP28 in Dubai.
In addition to the fund, it has already been agreed in 2020 that the industrialized countries will support poorer countries in adapting to climate change and in advancing climate protection. For this purpose, the industrialized nations were to pay 100 billion US dollars annually to poor countries. But to date, the states have largely failed to pay the money. Although the final declaration lacks a passage on whether and by when this money is to be paid.
Developing countries are also to be supported in the climate-friendly restructuring of their economies. To this end, a work program is to be developed and international financial institutions such as the World Bank are to be reformed and more strongly oriented towards climate protection.
The 1.5° target has been the subject of heated debate, because many states reject a rapid CO2 reduction. Nevertheless, in the final declaration the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2° Celsius and, if possible, to 1.5° Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era was confirmed.
Regarding the 1.5° target, the COP27 recognized the urgent need for a rapid and sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, an action program for reducing emissions mentioned in the final declaration remained very vague. But the states reaffirmed the decision taken last year to phase out coal-fired power generation. Yet there is no mention of a farewell to oil and gas. For the first time, the demand for an expansion of renewables found its way in the final document, but without further specifications.
The COP27 was primarily intended to improve the globally agreed climate protection targets. Despite the collective understanding that it was imperative to act immediately in order to meet the 1.5° target, the Parties were unable to agree on the necessary steps. Moreover, some decisions remained vague, others were postponed. Thus, the climate conference ended with a small success, but by no means with an ambitious implementation of the global climate protection goals.
