COP27 is the much shorter, and catchier, name for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Since 2005 and 2016, respectively, the COPs have also served dual purposes, hosting the meetings of parties to the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.
The annual COP27 will be held from 6-18 November in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, bringing together heads of state, ministers and negotiators, along with climate activists, mayors, civil society representatives and CEOs. There, these parties will review and discuss global progress in addressing climate change, and negotiate and advocate for collective and national climate responsibility in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the already evident impacts of climate collapse, and chasing up on global commitments to finance climate action.
After kicking off with a World Leaders Summit, COP27 will roll out with Thematic Days focussing on discrete topics including finance, science, youth, decarbonisation, adaptation and agriculture, water, gender, energy, biodiversity, and solutions. Various groups and sub-groups (for example, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on climate change) will rub shoulders, scratch backs and flatter egos to draw out gains, wins and inches on their own agendas.
Although victories are usually incredibly hard-fought and may feel marginal in the face of climate collapse, some previous significant COP outcomes have included:
- The Kyoto Protocol (COP3, 1997) was adopted with the commitment to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in industrialised countries, laying the foundation of the carbon market.
- COP15 (2009) validated the objective of keeping global warming below 2 ºC and developed countries committed to financing developing countries in the long term.
- The Cancun Agreements (COP16, 2010) created the Green Climate Fund for financing climate actions in developing countries.
- After 20 years of negotiations, the Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) was unanimously adopted to keep global warming below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and continue efforts to limit it to 1.5ºC.
- In Bonn in 2017, (COP23) a Gender Action Plan was adopted to promote and ensure the role of women in decision-making related to climate change.
But COP27 isn’t just about the main negotiations. Organisations, brands and advocates from around the world will descend on Sharm El Sheikh to host a full programme of side events (both official and unofficial), pavilions, expos and pop-ups, as well as countless bilateral engagements in conference venues, hotel rooms, and cafeterias.
There are two activity ‘zones’ at the conference – the greater “Green Zone” where the business community, youth, civil and indigenous societies, academia, artists and fashion communities from all over the world come together via events, exhibitions, workshops, cultural performances, and talks. The much more exclusive “Blue Zone” (United Nations Blue, I assume?) venue contains the actual meeting rooms, delegations, plenaries and conference rooms, as well as a few select exhibitors, rubbing shoulders with negotiators in the corridors of climate power.
Amidst a year of slow COVID-19 recovery, global conflict and disunity, a growing energy crisis, and increasingly extreme weather events across the world, COP27 negotiators will have their work cut out for them as the conference targets renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement and the (slow) gains of previous years. Globally, developed countries that bear the historical responsibility for climate change (and arguably, a duty of care to mitigate and alleviate it) have been critiqued for being mitigation-focused and failing to fully honour their obligations and commitments for supporting developing countries facing the brunt of climate change’s impacts.
COP27 is an opportunity to chase up these obligations, and secure implementation support for African and other developing countries, ideally promoting people-centred, just and equitable transitions in low-carbon development, sustainable energy access and resilience building in the process.
Why does COP27 matter for South Africa?
After two major municipalities (Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Municipality) narrowly avoided “Day Zero” scenarios, the devastating floods in KZN earlier this year are another stark reminder of the potential and probable impact of worsening climate hazards, and will likely be front of mind for the South African negotiators advocating for better support this month.
But, we are not off the hook: although compared to emitters in the Global North, Africa’s contribution to carbon emissions is low, South Africa itself is a Global Top 20 emitter, largely due to our reliance on coal for energy (thanks Eskom!). In September 2021, the government updated our Nationally Determined Contribution (a UNFCCC reporting framework that outlines countries’ commitments to reducing their emissions) to include a “significantly more ambitious” mitigation target, but we will still need to walk a fine line when negotiating with our developing and developed country counterparts.
What does COP27 mean for the fashion industry?
Fashion will also be on the agenda, as this sector is a major contributor to carbon emissions (in addition to its well-profiled impacts on human rights, biodiversity, pre- and post-consumer waste). In 2020, McKinsey estimated that the textile and leather industry alone represents 2.1 billion tons (4%) of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the emissions of France, Germany and the UK combined.
In May of this year, UNECE-UNIDO hosted a conference in the run-up to COP27 titled “Accelerating action for the sustainable garment and footwear industry of the future: Harnessing the potential of innovation for due diligence and reduced environmental impact”. The conference discussed challenges, opportunities and approaches to address the climate impact of these major sectors and industries, and concluded by emphasising the necessity to join forces in implementation efforts through innovative and inclusive solutions.
Want to know more?
- Check out the full programme for COP27 here and look out for online side events, campaigns and actions to take!
- In the run-up to COP27, Global Landscapes Forum is running a mini-series of short crash courses diving into the fundamentals of climate change. Join the live screenings or watch the videos to hear from top researchers and experts on essential climate knowledge that often goes overlooked. You can catch up on the recordings of previous sessions on their YouTube channel.
About Ask Emma*:
Ask Emma is a new monthly series where Emma Jones-Phillipson answers your questions about climate change and the environment. (*From time to time, Emma may also call upon her network of colleagues and peers, to ensure you’re getting the best possible answer from the most authoritative sources)
Emma is a gender, policy, and climate adaptation specialist with extensive experience providing technical assistance and developing, implementing, and assessing projects and policies in least developed countries (LDCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific for a range of clients including South African and international NGOs, UN agencies, and various LDC country governments.
- To submit a question to Emma for next month email her at emma@engen.global
- Cover image: Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels
