COP 27 con modestos resultados

 Por Luis Fierro Carrión (*)

Twitter: @Luis_Fierro_C

La Conferencia de las Partes 27 (o COP, por su sigla en inglés) de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas para el Cambio Climático (CMNUCC) acaba de concluir el 20 de noviembre en Sharm-el-Sheik, Egipto.

Aunque se había anunciado como la COP de la “implementación” y enfocada en la adaptación al cambio climático, en la práctica se empantanó por varios motivos:

-         Los países en desarrollo exigían que se cree un nuevo “fondo de compensación” por las “Pérdidas y Daños” causados por el cambio climático (China, miembro del G77, no ha indicado si contribuirá a dicho fondo, pese a ser responsable de un tercio de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero). La creación del fondo finalmente fue aprobada el domingo 20, pero los detalles están por definirse (incluyendo quien debe aportar y quien puede recibir los recursos).

-         Los países pequeños insulares, y la Unión Europea, insistían en que se debería aumentar la ambición en la reducción de las emisiones, para poder mantener viva la meta de limitar el aumento de la temperatura a menos de 1.5 grados C. Otros decían que ya no era factible dicha meta, pero que había que hacer un esfuerzo para no sobrepasar los 2 grados de aumento de temperatura.

Más en Substack:

https://luisfierro.substack.com/p/cop-27-con-modestos-resultados

(*) Versión extendida de la columna publicada el 24 de noviembre en el Diario "El Universo":

https://www.eluniverso.com/opinion/columnistas/cop-27-con-modestos-resultados-nota/

COP 27 with modest results

 By Luis Fierro Carrión (*)

Twitter: @Luis_Fierro_C

The 27th Conference of Parties (or COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) just concluded on November 20 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Although it had been announced as the COP of “implementation” and focused on adaptation to climate change, in practice it got bogged down for several reasons:

- Developing countries demanded that a new "compensation fund" be created for "Loss and Damage" caused by climate change (China, a member of the G77, has not indicated whether it will contribute to such a fund, despite being currently responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions). The creation of the fund was finally approved on Sunday the 20th, but the details are yet to be defined (including who should contribute and who can receive the resources).

- The small island developing countries, and the European Union, insisted that ambition in reducing emissions should be increased, in order to keep alive the goal of limiting the increase in temperature to less than 1.5 degrees C. Others said that this goal was no longer feasible, but an effort had to be made to not exceed a 2 degree increase in temperature.

The event had to last two days longer than expected, given the difficulty in reaching consensus. There is no voting rule in the COP (not even a super-majority of 2/3 or 5/6), which is why it is understood that decisions must be unanimous (in some cases, when one or two minor countries have objected, the conference chair has indicated that it was his “sense” that there was consensus).

In my science fiction novel “The Last Human”, I anticipate that if a voting mechanism cannot be established, humanity will not be able to find a solution to this existential threat, and the temperature will continue to rise, and with it the sea level, natural disasters, droughts and floods in various regions, famines, among other catastrophic consequences.

More on Substack:

https://luisfierro.substack.com/p/cop-27-with-modest-results

(*) English translation of a column published in “El Universo” newspaper in Ecuador, November 24, 2022

https://www.eluniverso.com/opinion/columnistas/cop-27-con-modestos-resultados-nota/