As expected, time flies here in Sharm. Day 2 of COP27 is already in the books.
While in the main plenary, the National Statements of Heads of State continued, for me today was all about the science behind the negotiations. As I mentioned in my pre-COP post, the conference is not just about negotiations but also a vibrant international hub of learning, knowledge sharing and exchange of experiences. There are a multitude of side-events, exhibitions and panels on virtually every relevant aspect of climate change science, policy and action.
Today I attended a side-event organised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II (on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability) on 'Assessing adaptation needs', and later sat in on an event by members of the Working Group III (on Mitigation of Climate Change) at the Science for Climate Action pavilion which was about 'Mitigating climate change through demand-side responses'. The clear message from the WGIII contribution to the Sixth IPCC Assessment Report was echoed here: according to the science, the time to act is now.
Later in the afternoon, I further explored the pavilion area. One of my favorite pavilions is the LGMA Multi-level Action Pavilion which is all about the role of cities, towns and regions in supporting climate policy and actions, and has a special Loss and Damage (L&D) theme. Today, they organised an event on 'A year in action: Loss and Damage from COP26 to now' which featured, inter alia, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Frances Way, Executive Director of the UN High-Level Champions.
Huq spoke on the role of trust in the negotiations around L&D finance and said it was pivotal to successful negotiations. Being asked about his hopes for COP27, he mentioned that this was actually the 27th COP he had attended and that he would always come with optimism for progress on L&D. He mentioned his hope for a 'Sharm el-Sheikh Loss and Damage Finance Facility' that could be set up this year if negotiations allowed for real progress (after an attempt at creating a 'Glasgow Loss And Damage Facility' proposed by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) at COP26 had been unsuccessful due to opposition from developed states).
Something else that gave hope today was the announcement from the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland will pledge another $5 million of funding for countries suffering loss and damage from climate change (in addition to the £2 million that it pledged last year at COP26).
Likewise, Austria pledged 50 million euros for L&D today.
Daily Highlights
To read more in-depth highlights of each day at COP, visit the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin coverage.
COP27 Experience
Finally, here are some impressions of the COP27 venue by day and night, bringing you inside:
