John -
First off, I am so excited to share that because thousands of grassroots supporters around the world chipped in, we will be able to send all 34 climate activists to COP27 this year!
Next, I want to introduce you to the head of our delegation this year at COP27, Cansın Leylim Ilgaz.
Cansın put together a brief overview of 350.org's priorities this year at COP27 that I wanted to share, along with some other key bits of information.
Here are the 11 things you need to know ahead of the COP27 climate talks:
What is COP27?
- COP27 is a meeting where world leaders make agreements and decisions to tackle the climate crisis and since 2015, based on the Paris Agreement, prevent global temperature from rising beyond 1.5°C.
- Last year at COP, the US and 38 other countries agreed to stop financing international unabated fossil fuel energy by the end of 2022.
- This year, our focus is on following up on the promises made last year on fossil fuel financing to ensure no backtracking, calling for climate financing for fast deployment of renewables and efficiency to ensure energy access and transition, while making sure the communities who are at the frontlines resisting big European projects like East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline and gas infrastructure are heard loud and clear. We will support calls for compensation over climate impacts to not hinder the development of the regions in the Global South and further entrench them into debt and poverty.
Who is going?
- World leaders, heads of states, ministers, climate activists, civil society, fossil fuel lobbyists, and CEOs will be there.
What is at stake?
- The climate crisis is rapidly accelerating, and every day we delay action, our options get narrower. In order to stop the worst effects, we must limit global heating as much as we possibly can — every fraction of a degree counts.
- In order to do that, the world must avoid any new coal, oil, and gas development, move towards electrification and energy efficiency, and redirect financial flows toward the vast deployment of renewable energy.
- Right now with the current national plans, we are on track for nearly 3 degrees of global heating. We need to see action across the globe to drive down emissions and transition to a fair and sustainable economy.
- Countries must fast-track their efforts to reduce emissions and commit to more ambitious climate goals. There have been swathes of weak commitments from them over the years, and most recently last year at COP26 in Glasgow. But this is a smokescreen for inactivity, delay is the new denial, we need radical action now because the cost of climate inaction is much higher than the cost of climate action. Incremental change will not get us to where we need to be.
What is our climate movement doing?
- We are mobilizing people around the world to show global leaders the transformational change that we demand.
- We are pushing for bold climate action at home so our leaders can negotiate for more radical climate targets internationally.
Hopefully this list was helpful for you, John. Over the next couple of weeks, Cansın will be sending on-the-ground updates from the climate talks along with lots of opportunities for our climate movement around the globe to build the pressure we need on world leaders to take real climate action.
More soon from me and Cansın once we arrive in Egypt!
Omar Elmawi
350.org
