On this edition of Your Call's One Planet Series, we're discussing the UN climate summit that just ended in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
According to reports, negotiators from 200 countries agreed on the loss and damage fund to address the loss and damage caused by global warming in poor countries, but the final document does mention the need to phase out fossil fuels, and to limit temperature increases to 1.5C.
According to the Guardian, the outcome was widely judged as a failure on efforts to cut carbon dioxide, after oil-producing countries and high emitters weakened and removed key commitments on greenhouse gases and phasing out fossil fuels.
A recent UN Environment report concluded that in order to stay under 1.5 C, industrialized nations must reduce greenhouse gas emissions—cutting them by about half in the next eight years and to zero by 2050. António Guterres, secretary general of the UN, warned: "Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this Cop did not address. The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition."
Guest:
Bob Berwyn, climate science and international climate policy reporter for Inside Climate News
Web Resources:
Inside Climate News: Is COP27 the End of Hopes for Limiting Global Warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius?
The Guardian: World still ‘on brink of climate catastrophe’ after Cop27 deal
France 24: Multinationals opening new gas sites, despite climate change warnings
FT: COP27 ends in tears and frustration: ‘The world will not thank us’
