Hope for Humanity

At a time when nature is declining globally at an unprecedented rate, stopping and reversing deforestation, limiting pollution and emission of greenhouse gases, transformation of food and land use systems, and protecting ocean and river ecosystems are some of the major global challenges. Therefore, in addition to financial issues, COP 27 would focus on solutions for climate adaptation, strategies for managing climate risks while meeting our growing food demand, address water scarcity, and build climate-resilient cities

A series of extreme climate events has imparted a welcome sense of urgency to the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), being held at Sharm el-Sheikh. World leaders, including US President Biden have confirmed their attendance. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and climate activist Greta Thunberg (who sees COPs as exercises in futility), would be among the absentees. Iffy earlier, UK PM Rishi Sunak, would attend.

The Glasgow Climate Pact, finalised at COP 26 last year, reaffirmed the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of “limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.”

Commitments were made to phase down coal-fired power generation, and agreements were signed to reverse deforestation and land degradation, and pledge more finance, to help developing countries cope with climate change. An unexpected bonanza was a deal between arch-rivals China and the US, to co-operate in cutting down methane emissions.

Encouragingly for the outcome of COP27, for the first time, world leaders have taken serious note of the impending climate disaster. According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “A third of Pakistan flooded. Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years. The Philippines hammered.

The whole of Cuba in blackout. And in the United States, Hurricane Ian has delivered a brutal reminder that no country and no economy is immune from the climate crisis.” One can add extreme temperatures in India and China, along with floods followed by droughts in China, to the list of extreme climate events enumerated by the SecretaryGeneral.