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Will climate change parties act after Guterres prodding?

Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks during the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks during the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
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The 27th meeting of Conference of Parties (COP) currently progressing in Sharm el-Sheikh, the resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea in Egypt, is important to take further action on achieving the goals of 2015 Paris Agreement.


Sharm el-Sheikh’s salubrious coast, pristine beaches, majestic coral reefs, and the Red Sea, though salty at 40 per cent, has 14.7 per cent fishes that are endemic species. The marine biodiversity should encourage COP27 delegates to take tough, but good decisions to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius limit.


Greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels, industries, cars, aeroplanes, agriculture and mining have increased the average global temperature in 2022 by 1.15 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average, according to the UN's climate scientists.


The Sixth Assessment Report released February 2002 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says, “Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. Hardest hit are people and ecosystems least able to cope.”Gute


IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said, “This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction... It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”


The report calls for action to adapt to climate change by making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and avoid mounting loss of life, biodiversity. So far, progress on adaptation is uneven. There are increasing gaps between action taken and action needed to deal with the increasing risks. These gaps are largest among lower-income populations, the IPPC report warned.


UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressed on these gaps this Tuesday at the launch of the report of High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments. In his hard-hitting speech, the UN chief reminded delegates their responsibility.


“A growing number of governments and non-state actors are pledging to be carbon-free – and obviously that’s good news, he said. “The problem is the criteria and benchmarks for these net-zero commitments have varying levels of rigour and loopholes wide enough to drive a diesel truck through. We must have zero tolerance for net-zero greenwashing.


“The Expert Group report is a how-to guide to ensure credible, accountable net-zero pledges. It provides clarity in four key concerns: environmental integrity; credibility; accountability; and the role of governments.”


The Parties would do well to take harsh decisions for the greater good of the world that has suffered extreme weather episodes over the last ten years because of global warming. The delegates face a challenging task in Sharm el-Sheikh. As Guterres said, “Global emissions must decline by at least 45 per cent by 2030 – and reach net zero by 2050. Pledges should have interim targets every five years starting in 2025.


Hopefully, member states will agree to achieve the world’s collective climate goal of 1.5 degrees reduction as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention. This edition hopes to further build on the traction gained at COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021.


State and government heads attended the plenary session of the Climate Implementation Summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on 7 and 8 November. The Parties will hold the high-level session mainly attended by ministers from November 15 to 18.


(Sudeep Sonawane, an India-based journalist, has worked in five countries in the Middle East and Asia. Email: sudeep.sonawane@gmail.com)


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