COP27 kicks off in SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: The UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, should shift the world toward implementing previously agreed-upon plans to address humanity's greatest challenge, said Simon Stiell, the new Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC), at the opening of COP27 on Sunday.

The UN climate chief stated that leaders, whether Presidents, Prime Ministers, or CEOs, would be held accountable for promises made in Glasgow last year.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force on March 21, 1994, to prevent "dangerous" human interference with the climate system.

It now has near-universal membership, having been ratified by 198 countries.

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, serves as a supplement to that convention.

Deliver what has been promised

Recognizing the current complex geopolitical situation, Mr. Stiell stated that COP27 represents an opportunity to create a safe political space, shielded from whatever is going on "out there," in order to work and deliver world change.

The UNFCCC Executive Secretary underlined three critical lines of action for the Conference:

1.            Demonstrate a transformation shift to implementation by putting negotiations into concrete actions.

2.            Cement progress on the critical workstreams – mitigation, adaptation, finance and crucially – loss and damage.

3.            Enhance the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the process.

No backsliding allowed

Mr. Stiell, who describes himself as a "accountability chief," stated that 29 countries have now come forward with tightened national climate plans since COP26, five more since the publication of the UNFCCC NDC Synthesis report last week, but still not a majority.

He reminded delegates that the Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed upon at COP26 last year, and he expected them to keep their word.

An inclusive process

In remarks that drew a standing ovation in the plenary, the UN climate chief emphasised the importance of putting women and girls at the centre of climate decision-making and action.

New Presidency

During the opening plenary, Alok Sharma, President of COP26 representing the United Kingdom, officially handed over the baton to the new Egyptian President, Sameh Shoukry.

Mr. Sharma reviewed the accomplishments made in Glasgow last year, such as the completion of the so-called Paris Rulebook - the guidelines for how that Agreement will be implemented - and the making of stronger financial commitments.

According to the COP26 President, if all of last year's commitments, including the net-zero pledges, are met, the world will be on track for 1.7 degrees Celsius warming by the end of the century.

He urged leaders to act, echoing Mr. Stiell, despite current geopolitical challenges.

Egypt urges implementation

COP27 President Sameh Shoukry urged delegates to raise their ambitions and start putting their promises into action.

Mr. Shoukry went on to say that the $100 billion promised by developed countries for adaptation to developing countries should be delivered and that finance should be at the forefront of the discussion.

He also warned that "zero-sum games have no winners" and that the implications of the negotiations will affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people suffering from the effects of climate change around the world.

Loss and damage

During the procedural opening on Sunday, the agenda items that will be discussed over the next two weeks at COP27 were also agreed upon.

'Loss and damage,' an item that was still up in the air prior to the conference, was finally added to the agenda after being proposed by negotiators from the Group of 77 and China (which essentially includes all developing nations) and after extensive discussions among the 194 UN Climate Convention parties.

Climate change causes costly damage to countries through extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, desertification, and rising sea levels.

Because the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from rich industrialised countries, is causing the intensification of these otherwise "natural disasters," developing countries - often the most affected - have long argued that they should be compensated.

These payments, known as "loss and damage," will now be a major topic of discussion at COP27.