CoP 27 (1.5 DERGESS AT CLIFF EDGE)
1. Context
The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022- COP27- Opened in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) to ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015.
2. CoP( Conference of Parties)
It stands for the annual 'Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol (1997), or the Paris Agreement. Meetings review the progress made by countries in the fight against climate change and the implementation of decisions taken in earlier COPs. The First COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995.
3. Key Findings in CoP 27
Global Warming: It has already touched 1 degree Celsius.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe.
The Current commitments and policies of different nations will lead to a temperature rise of 8 (two point wight) degrees by the end of this century.
Global warning: To restrict global warming to 5 (1.5), carbon emissions must come down 45 percent by 2030 and reach zero by 2050.
Loss and damage: CoP27 includes 'loss and damage' in the main agenda.
4. Loss and Damage
- It refers to the costs the rich and developed countries, who are majorly responsible for industrial emissions, should pay to poorer nations ( made a negligible contribution to pollution) but are more vulnerable to extreme climate events- the devastating floods in Pakistan.
- Polluter pays principle: It makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.
- Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for loss and damage (2013): It was the first formal acknowledgment of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.
5. Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda:
- The Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda outlines 30 Adaptation Outcomes to build resilience for four billion people that are most vulnerable to climate, by 2030. Each outcome provides a global solution that can be adopted at a local level in response to local climate risks like rising climate hazards in the form of floods, Heatwaves droughts, etc.
- These outcomes together present the first comprehensive global plan for both State and non-State actors on a shared set of adaptation actions that are required to be adopted by the end of this decade across five impact systems: food and agriculture, water and nature, coastal and oceans, human settlements, and infrastructure, and including enabling solutions for planning and finance.
6. Major initiatives announced in the COP 27 meeting:
6.1 International Climate Change University:
The President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed a set up an international climate change university in Sri Lanka with an ancillary institution in the Maldives. It was reiterated that Sri Lanka and Maldives as island nations are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.
6.2 UAE-Egypt Deal:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt have struck a deal on the sidelines of the summit to develop one of the world's largest wind farms.
Once completed, the 10 GW onshore wind project in Egypt will produce approximately 47,790 GWh of clean energy annually. This would offset nearly 9% (23.8 million tonnes) of Egypt's current carbon dioxide emission.
7. India's participation in CoP 27
The Environment Minister of India Shri Bhupender Yadav is leading the Indian delegation to CoP-27.
India would press developed countries to fulfill their commitment to delivering $100 billion of climate finance annually.
It would also press for enhanced transparency and more institutional mechanisms to make these funds available to developing countries that are most vulnerable to climate change.
8. Paris Agreement
It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change
Adoption: It was adopted by 196 countries at the Conference of the Parties CoP 21 in Paris, in 2015.
Goal: To limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably limit it to 1.5 Degrees (1.5) Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
To achieve the long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century.
For Prelims & Mains
|
For Prelims: COP27, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Kyoto Protocol (1997), Paris Agreement.
For Mains: 1. Describe the Key findings of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by the India conference?
|
Source: The Hindu
