SIR: A major item on the agenda for discussion in Egypt at the 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP27 was financing for loss and damages to support frontline countries. This was against what happened at COP26 in Glasgow where developed countries tactically dodged the issue. At COP27 developing countries positioned themselves to demand huge financing from developed countries. This was in line with ANEEJ and Nigerian CSOs demand as reflected on the sign on statement launched at COP27, endorsed by 87 signatories comprising 80 organisations and seven individuals. World leaders arrived one by one and made statements for the first two days, negotiations and side events started from 9th November 2022.
It was estimated that developing countries would require more than $2 trillion yearly by 2030 for loss and damages. Government of Africa countries urged the developed countries and big polluters to do more as Africa is bearing the brunt. A lot of African countries were not happy because the big countries were not serious or showing enough commitment to solving the climate crisis which is having greater impact in the global south.
On the credit side, parties agreed a facility on loss and damages. For about 30 years or more, developing countries have been demanding that the developed countries take responsibility for loss and damages being the result of skyrocketing emission largely from developed world, the biggest culprits being the U.S., China and EU. For the same period, the big polluters have resisted the move. Two of the many instances cited at COP27 to support the agitations for loss and damage had already been flagged by the CSOs sign on statement ahead of the COP. These were the devastating floods that happened in Pakistan this 2022, affecting 33 million people and causing over USD15 billion (estimate) in damage. The ravaging floods that killed 612 Nigerians, impacted 3.2million citizens and rendered 1.4 million homeless, damaging livelihoods and property worth billions of dollars.
On the debit side, over 600 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to the COP27 climate talks which was 25 per cent more than their participation at COP26. This did not go down well with climate justice activists who insisted that the UN needs to kick big polluter out if it is serious about delivering climate action. The big one was that, there was a refusal to accept that fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis and must be phased out. At the end, 1.50C emission reduction target managed to remain without a plan on how to re-engineer efforts at country level to get there.
COP27 ended with gains and disappointments, so, it was not entirely “lost and damaged.” Going forward, we expect growing civil society and diplomatic pressure for a phase-out of all fossil as attention shifts to Dubai, UAE, for COP28, where over 80,000 delegates are expected to participate.
Innocent Edemhanria, ANEEJ programme manager, wrote from Benin City.
