What’s on the agenda at COP27?

It’s been almost a year since the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, which means COP27 is almost upon us.

But before we look into what this year’s conference has in store, let’s wind the clock back.

Was COP26 a success?

Arguably, yes and no.

There are several positives we can take from COP26, including:

• 23 countries agreed to phase out coal
• 110 world leaders committed to ending deforestation by 2030
• 100 leaders agreed to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030
• Governments, vehicle manufacturers, businesses and investors agreed to work towards achieving 100% zero emissions on car and van sales by 2035

However, the summit’s main objective was for all nations to agree on the biggest threat to the planet — reducing global warming by 1.5°C.

For more on COP26, its targets and outcomes, check out our articles, What do we hope the COP26 conference will achieve? and COP26: Success or Failure?

Where and when is COP27 being held?

COP27 is taking place at the International ConventionCentre (SHICC) in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt between Sunday 6th and Friday 18th November 2022.

What’s on the COP27 agenda?

There will be a lot of themes on the agenda at COP27, but the main talking points will be:

Mitigation

In terms of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, COP26 fell short of the Paris Agreement’s ambitious commitments. Although over 120 parties submitted updated or new NDCs, if they were implemented, the planet would be 2.4°C warmer by the end of the century, which is 0.9°C higher than the 1.5°C goal.

As a result, the Glasgow Climate Pact was created, which requires parties to align 2030 targets with the Paris Agreement by 2022. Despite this, the UK remains among those still to submit its NDC, even with COP27 approaching fast.

Adaptation

Adaptation (which means adjusting to current and future impacts of climate change) has received less attention and funding than mitigation. At COP26, efforts to change this resulted in the Glasgow Climate Pact, which urged developed countries to double adaptation financing and launch a two-year work programme on the global goal on adaptation (GGA).

Finance

At COP26, developing countries expressed anger over the failure of promises of regular financial assistance to support mitigation and adaptation.

At COP27, there is likely to be a concerted effort from these countries to push for the fulfilment of historic promises, including the $100 billion developed countries promised to deliver between 2020 to 2025, which have so far not been met.

Loss and damage

Developing countries that contribute least to climate change will likely request financial assistance for the loss and damage created by developed countries.

At COP26, developed countries showed some resistance. Still, progress was made on loss and damage with the introduction of the ‘Glasgow Dialogue’. This agreement saw Wallonia (a region in Belgium) and Scotland pledge €1 million and £2 million to address loss and damage in developing countries.

Global stocktake

As part of the 2021-2023 ‘global stocktake’ (GST), COP27 will see the first of three ‘Technical Dialogues, which assesses the progress of fulfilling the Paris Agreement. Not only that, but it also assesses the progress on mitigation, adaptation, implementation and support.

COP26 focused on specific areas, including coal, cars, cash and trees. One outcome at the 2021 summit was a flurry of deals on issues ranging from fossil fuel phase-out and reducing methane emissions to ending deforestation.

All eyes will be on COP27 to see whether progress has been made on these agreements.

Who is representing the UK at the summit?

With Rishi Sunak being confirmed as the new PM on 25th October, he had confirmed that he won’t be attending the summit in Egypt. A downing street spokeswoman said the UK will instead be represented by outgoing COP president Alok Sharma and other ministers only.

Furthermore, No 10 have confirmed Climate Minister Graham Stuart – who was reappointed to the role in Mr Sunak’s reshuffle – will no longer attend the summit. While the optics may not look good, hopefully the review of Net Zero 2050 led by now former Energy Minister Chris Skidmore, announced back in September is still going ahead and will help shape a realistic and forward thinking strategy.

Surprisingly, on the 2nd November Rishi Sunak reversed his decision and announced he will attend the summit after initially stating he was too busy with the 17th November budget. He said: “There would be no long-term prosperity without action on climate change, or energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend COP27 next week: to deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”

How Inteb can help you do your bit

Although you might not be able to attend COP27, it doesn’t mean you can’t play your part in reducing carbon emissions.

At Inteb, our experts help you set targets and develop a framework to meet your net-zero targets. And for added peace of mind, we’re accredited to FutureNetZero standard, which means we give practical and accurate advice to companies serious about reaching net zero.

We do the work. You reap the benefits.

Start reducing your carbon emissions today

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