Macron: ‘Economies must transit from Coal’
Newslooks- SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed the need to support developing nations to transition away from dirty fuels and provide funding for current and future climate-related damage on Monday.
“We must transition our economies away from coal. We must also help emerging countries to do so as quickly as possible,” Macron told leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Egypt, adding that more partnerships need to be made with developing nations to help them transition to cleaner energy.
“We need a huge shock on concessional financing,” Macron said, voicing his support for funding for countries that can “no longer do business as usual” as they are too impacted by climate-related damage.
Which Global leaders are attending COP27? The influential politicians heading to Egypt.
Among the European contingent, French President Emmanuel Macron is attending COP27 with big French delegate.
World leaders typically appear at the start and end of the conference, leaving detailed talks with the UN and other countries to their negotiators.
Macron will be playing an important role at the World Leaders Summit from 7 to 8 November, however. Alongside President of Senegal Macky Sall, and Dutch PM Mark Rutte, the French President will be convening an event on accelerating adaptation in Africa – a key narrative at this COP.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends COP too. As is new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s news agency ANSA reported last week.
Türkiye, another G20 country, but one that has long wrestled with its responsibility under the Paris Agreement, is likely to be represented by President Erdoğan. He dropped out of COP26 shortly before it started due to a dispute over security in Glasgow.
The G20 countries are responsible for around 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s crucial that they’re accountable at COP summits.
Some 24 countries led by the U.S. and Ghana launched a partnership on Monday to eliminate deforestation by 2030.
The group of nations are home to more than a third of the world’s remaining forests. It’s expected $3.6 billion in private capital will be committed to the pledge during this year’s climate conference, taking total funds earmarked for forest conservation projects to $23.8 billion.
None of the three most rainforested nations – Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo – have signed up, although discussions are said to be underway.
Environmentalists warn its funding is dwarfed by investment in companies accused of destroying rainforests.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $1.4 billion to support agricultural projects across Africa and South Asia that it said will help small farmers adapt to climate change.
The foundation’s CEO Mark Suzman announced the commitment Monday, saying it was in response to calls from African leaders to increase financing for climate adaptation.
Some of the funds will expand initiatives run by the International Fund for Agricultural Development that support women farmers, who Melinda French Gates called the “backbone” of African food systems in a a statement. Funds will also go to major agricultural research institutions.
The foundation has one of the largest endowments of any philanthropic foundation. It has supported agricultural research, information systems and the piloting of new kinds of seeds and livestock interventions in Africa since at least 2006.
A big event is all about the guest list. While the ‘who’s in, who’s out’ speculation around COP27 can feel like a distraction from its all-important mission, there’s good reason why we’re so invested in our leaders going.
“There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change,” he tweeted this morning (2 November).
As for the UK’s Rishi Sunak, it appears that fierce criticism from campaigners, opposition parties and some of his own MPs has forced him into rethinking his earlier decision not to attend.
“The first test of leadership is to turn up,” said Green MP Caroline Lucas.
“Glad to see Sunak’s screeching U-turn on COP27,” she tweeted in reaction to today’s news. “But what an embarrassing misstep on the world stage. Let this be a lesson to him – climate leadership matters.”
Former British PM Boris Johnson‘s is also attending the summit, piled some pressure on Sunak too.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon will definitely be going, building on Scotland’s leadership on critical issues such as loss and damage. Denmark, which became the first independent country to make the pivotal financial pledge, will be led by prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who has just been re-elected.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will also be at the venue, launching an initiative with Nigeria on territorial resilience to drought at COP27. And European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is sure to take a leading role.
US President Biden has confirmed his attendance at COP27, showing that domestic matters – in his case, the US midterms – don’t have to get in the way of showing climate leadership.
Chinese President Jinping is not expected to attend, following a no-show at COP26 last year. While China is now the largest emitter of CO2, the UK’s cumulative emissions are 5.5 times higher than China’s and 20 times higher than India’s, so it doesn’t bear the same historic responsibility for curbing climate change.
Indian Prime Minister Modi is likely to attend COP27.
So early into his victory over Bolsonaro, Brazil’s Lula is reportedly heading to Egypt next week (14 November). A congresswoman-elect told Reuters that the Amazon defender would also “definitely send broad representation” ahead of his inauguration on new year’s day.
Australia’s PM, Anthony Albanese – also an improvement on his predecessor Morrison in climate matters – is sitting COP27 out. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will lead Australia’s delegation.
Simply put, the summit is not just a chance to ramp up commitments on climate change – the biggest issue of our times. It’s also diplomacy on a grand scale, giving leaders the opportunity to address the geopolitical challenges that are holding back climate action and progress in various other areas.
More than 100 heads of state have confirmed their attendance at Sharm el-Sheikh next week, according to the latest statement from Egyptian authorities. But leaders and representatives of more than 190 countries – all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – are expected in total.
