Everything you need to know about COP27
Next week, governments from around the world will gather in Egypt for COP27. The annual event seeks to accelerate international efforts to confront the climate crisis. Islamic Relief’s Head of Global Advocacy, Shahin Ashraf, explains why COP matters to our organisation and what we’re hoping will come from this year’s event.
What is COP?
The Conference of Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a landmark international environmental treaty. The event brings signatory governments together once a year to discuss and agree how to jointly address climate change and its impacts.
The governments attending COP are signatories to the UNFCC, or other key treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris Agreement. But negotiators, civil society actors, businesses, the media and non-government organisations also take part in the 12-day event.
Negotiators, including government ministers, work to reach agreements, with ‘observer’ organisations involved to ensure transparency and bring broader perspectives to the process.
This year marks the 27th session of COP, which will run from 6 – 18 November in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Why is COP important to Islamic Relief?
Eighty per cent of the world’s land mass has been impacted by climate change, influencing most of the world’s 7.7 billion people – forty per cent of whom are living on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Islamic Relief is committed to protecting the environment and advocating on environmental concerns. We work to help communities around the world become more resilient to climate change, aim to reduce our own carbon footprint, and undertake advocacy to promote substantial and equitable reductions in greenhouse gases.
Two years ago, Islamic Relief acquired observer status, allowing us to take part in COP proceedings such as negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation – a commitment to work on strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change.
Last year, Islamic Relief was deeply involved in talks between countries on adaptation and in the final negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation.
What’s happening at this year’s COP?
The theme of COP27 is delivering for people and the planet. The incoming Egyptian COP27 Presidency has identified a range of topics focused on improving implementation and raising ambition on issues related to climate change.
It has designated several days for focused discussions, including panels, roundtables and other formats to a reach a wider audience. The topics include financing, adaptation, water, gender, biodiversity and youth and future generations.
As well as these specific focuses, COP27 will build on the outcomes of last year’s event to deliver action on critical issues from reducing greenhouse gas emission to delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in low-income countries.
What do we want to see from this year’s COP?
As we see the world grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, we must not ignore the fact that the countries that have contributed the least to climate change are suffering its most severe impacts.
Without adequate financing, the fallout from climate-related disasters such as the recent flooding in Pakistan will stretch on for generations. It will be a truly be a failure if global decision makers do not properly respond to the dire situation many countries are facing.
A lack of financing will plunge many low-income countries further into debt as they bear the brunt of the climate change crisis, experiencing more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels and increasing temperatures.
If COP’s theme for this year is truly delivering for people and the planet then we must truly put the cost of action at the forefront of climate change, as the cost of inaction will have truly grave consequences now and for our future generations.