November 07, 2022

COP 27: Walking the talk on adaptation, implementation and financing

topic:	Climate action
located:	Sudan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt
editor:	Bob Koigi

COP27 has kicked off in Egypt amidst unprecedented global shocks that point to the dangerous direction the world is moving towards. 

This year’s summit comes before a backdrop of economic and ecological turmoil: a looming recession and inflation crisis; devastating floods in Sudan, Bangladesh and Pakistan that have killed thousands and displaced millions; widespread famine afflicting Eastern Africa, sparked by the worst drought in 40 years and affecting over 50 million people. The current conditions have conspired to make this a challenging decade for mankind.

The United Nations indicated that in 2021, about 23.7 million internal migrants were displaced around the world by the impacts of climate change. In the meantime, Africa is losing up to 15 percent of its annual per capita GDP growth as a result of climate change. 

The future does not look any clearer. Without urgently investing in sustainable solutions, like ensuring emissions are cut by 43 percent by the end of the decade, the planet will experience the severely devastating impacts of a hot climate. Which is why this year’s summit must deliver clear-cut solutions. As individual countries at the summit negotiate for their own needs, reason must prevail to ensure the global agenda moves forward. 

Negotiators must prioritise financing, mitigation and adaptation solutions that put people and the planet first. This includes urgently tackling greenhouse gas emissions, coming up with practical resilience initiatives - especially for vulnerable communities - and putting in place tangible commitments to finance climate action in developing countries. This time, the talks must lead to change, because the cost of inaction is too high to pay.

Photo by Thijs Stoop

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