November 2022
This blog was originally posted on RSPB's Nature's Advocates page.
At the mid-way point of this year’s climate summit – COP27 – we're pausing to reflect on progress so far, and what’s yet needed for a successful outcome. Get involved in calling for the success of COP15 too. Check out urgentconversation.org to add your voice!
It’s safe to say this COP didn't get off to the most straightforward of starts. Upon arrival, delegates were faced with extortionate hotel price hikes, very expensive food prices in the venue, sparse water supplies, and a rather unfortunate leakage of sewage down the main avenue...
Thankfully the situation improved across the week, with efforts being made to make participation more affordable and safe. We’ve been lucky to be incredibly supported by our wonderful BirdLife family, the strength of which is never felt more keenly than at times like this. But logistics aside, how have the negotiations been progressing?
A glimmer of hope for accountability on nature promises
Monday evening saw the launch of the Forest Climate and Leaders Partnership – spearheaded by the UK, chaired by the US and Ghana, and supported by 25 other partner countries. This partnership has been created to drive forward the implementation of forest-related commitments made under the UK COP Presidency, such as the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use. We were encouraged to see this launch, given the important role halting deforestation and land degradation will play in achieving 1.5ºC. An impressive array of leaders arrived to pledge their support and share progress from across the last year, from the UK’s Rishi Sunak giving opening (albeit short) remarks, to Macron, to John Kerry, to Samia Suluhu Hassan. Representatives of Indigenous Peoples took the floor to make clear what equitable implementation must look like. We’ll be tracking this process moving forward to ensure that it is transparent, just and drives meaningful action – and is not undermined by tree-planting greenwash as some of the leaders’ speeches seemed to imply.
A way forward for the stocktake on the Paris Agreement
Much of our negotiations-related focus for this first week was taken up by following and getting involved with the Global Stocktake (GST) discussions. This is the process under which the global community is coming together to take stock of progress towards the Paris Agreement’s goals. A wide range of open roundtable discussions were had, and we pitched in to stress the importance of ensuring that the role of ecosystems are integrated in a meaningful way in mitigation and adaption action - including suggesting solutions to current challenges with UN forest definitions and land-use accounting. Despite feeling a bit like a ‘show and tell’ without an immediate sense of how the important learnings discussed will drive improved action, the GST negotiations concluded with a clear roadmap of next steps. We’ll be continuing to track and engage with this important process across the next year towards its culmination at COP28.
It’s decision time
Towards the end of the week, the Egyptian Presidency began consulting on the key political text or ‘Cover Decision’ for COP27. We and our NGO partners are trying to land a simple but crucial message about the need to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises together. COP27 must therefore call for an ambitious global agreement for nature at the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity COP15. Biodiversity protection and restoration is essential to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and we want this clear connection to be drawn in this important political space to pave the way for a successful COP15. The UN conventions have for too long discussed climate and nature in siloes, and now is a key opportunity to break down those barriers, with COP27 and COP15 happening back-to-back. We have had constructive bilateral meetings with countries on this, and have heard some encouraging support for our proposals in the initial consultations, but there is a long week of political negotiations ahead and everything to play for.
You can get involved in calling for the success of COP15 too – yesterday we launched an exciting a campaign called the ‘Urgent Conversation’ which urges our Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to drive the ambitions of world leaders for a global deal to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity COP15. Check out urgentconversation.org to add your voice!
“A people united will never be defeated”
Space for open, peaceful protest at and around this COP has been severely restricted. Many of the inspiring activism activities that would normally surround an international climate event like this haven’t been able to go ahead. And yet despite tight security, a truly inspiring climate march took place within the venue on Saturday, bringing together passionate people from across countries and cultures to demand change. Calls of 100s of people chanting “Pay up, pay up, pay up for Loss & Damage”, “There is no climate justice without human rights” and “Tell me what democracy looks like/This is what democracy looks like” rang loud and clear – we hope decision makers got the message that enough is enough. The time for action is NOW!
Stay tuned!
This week we’ll be following the negotiations, holding events as RSPB and BirdLife on Biodiversity Day, and reporting on the conclusions of CO27 - whether they be good, bad or ugly. We’ll certainly be here fighting for the former!
And don’t forget to check out urgentconversation.org!
Fiona Dobson is an International Policy Officer at the RSPB.
The opinions expressed in this blog are the authors' and not necessarily those of the wider Link membership.
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