After fierce debate, the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change () closed in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the 20th, which was 36 hours longer than the original time. The General Assembly adopted dozens of resolutions, the most notable of which was the approval of the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund to help developing and vulnerable countries affected by climate change.
This is a hard-won result, responding to the urgent demands of developing countries and is a positive promotion for the global response to climate change. Some media commented that "this is a historic progress." UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement pointing out that the meeting has taken an important step in upholding justice. CNN reported, citing climate experts, that the achievement was largely due to the fact that developing countries have maintained solidarity and have played a greater influence than in the past few years.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the first year after the implementation of the " Paris Agreement ", but mankind is facing increasingly severe challenges of changing momentum. A report released by the World Meteorological Organization in May this year showed that in 2021, the four key climate change indicators, namely greenhouse gas concentration, sea level rise, , ocean heat, and ocean acidification, have set new records. Since June this year, there have been a rare flood in Pakistan. One-third of the land has been submerged and tens of millions of people have been affected, making the international community feel the extreme urgency of responding to climate change.
In this context, COP27 sets the theme as "implementation", which emphasizes that all parties should take action, especially developed countries should fulfill their commitments. Historically, global climate change was mainly caused by developed countries, but most of the losses and losses caused by them were borne by developing countries, which is unfair. Therefore, developed countries should assume "common but differentiated responsibilities", fulfill their obligations to reduce emissions first, and provide compensation to developing countries that have suffered from gas change damage.
At the 2009 United Nations Copenhagen Conference on Copenhagen, developed countries promised to provide US$100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. But this promise has not been fulfilled so far. Based on the fact that developed countries have "reward benefits but not received", on COP27, developing countries generally require developed countries to implement their commitments and provide compensation. NigeriaPresident Buhari recently published an article in the Washington Post, pointing out that Western development has caused a climate disaster in Africa, and Africa has the right to demand "climate compensation" in the West. Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif also asked wealthy countries such as Europe and the United States to compensate countries that have suffered from air change, including Pakistan.
Under pressure, developed countries finally reached a consensus with developing countries on the establishment of loss and damage funds. But this is not a gift from developed countries to developing countries, but a responsibility they should bear. As Pakistan’s Minister of Climate Change Sheri Rahman said, “This is not acceptance of charity, it is a down payment for our future and climate justice investments”.
At the same time, it should be seen that COP27 has not yet formulated a "roadmap" for the implementation of funds, and there are no clear regulations on which countries should contribute and how the funds operate. Coupled with the negative attitudes and integrity deficits in developed countries, people still question the implementation of the fund, and further negotiations and practical actions are still needed.
As the largest developing country, China has always been an activist and practical worker on climate issues. From 2012 to 2021, China supported the average economic growth of 6.5% with an average annual growth rate of energy consumption of 3%. In 2021, China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP decreased by about 34.4% compared with 2012, equivalent to 3.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions less. China's cumulative investment in renewable energy has reached US$380 billion, ranking first in the world in total.
At this meeting, the Chinese delegation participated in the consultations on nearly 100 issues in a comprehensive and in-depth manner, firmly safeguarded the common interests of developing countries, and made important contributions to the meeting's achievement of a package of positive results.What is particularly valuable is that when some countries are affected by geopolitical conflicts and the energy crisis of and slow down or even reverse their actions in responding to gas change, China has always continued to promote emission reduction. Chinese representatives said that on the basis of exceeding the emission reduction commitment in 2020, the Chinese government has put forward a new goal vision to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and strive to achieve carbon neutrality with by 2060. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized the need to build a modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. "HTM1Wall Street Journal " said, "China's actions have exceeded their commitments in response to climate change."
"Our planet is still in the emergency room." - United Nations Secretary-General Guterres's comment is worthy of people's deep thought. The goal of the Paris Agreement is not based on slogans but on actions. It is difficult for COP27 to achieve results, but climate action still faces many challenges and there is still a lot of work to be done in the future. The key is that developed countries must keep their word and put their promises into practice.
(International Sharp Commentary)
