The 27th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, i.e. Cop27, has taken place from November 6 to 20 at Sharm al Sheik (Egypt) with a very enticing theme: “Together for implementation”.
On arrival, the immense Conference Centre would welcome you with tight security screening and many local youth willing to assist participants in finding their way to the many halls and “pavilion”, areas set up by different Countries, international organizations and big business to stage their own side-events.
The place is almost a labyrinth!
On November 8, I start my “discovery” of the Cop27 activities and dynamics.
The brotherly assistance of Alberto Parise, Mccj, is precious indeed to avoid disorientation.
My first discovery is the pavilion of the Indigenous Peoples: simple and welcoming, opens my mind to their deep spirituality. From all walks of life and from all continents, they join forces, organise their sober space and provide simultaneous translation to share experiences, hopes and sorrows.
These peoples, and more so the women, foster a synthesis of traditional knowledge and modern science, of past and future generations, of living and non-living beings. So they would speak of “planetary health” and not of “human rights”, because they cherish the mystery of all that exists, listen to the voice of the water and look at the colour of the ice.
With such a deep connection with nature, they open me up to new perceptions and almost every day I would pop in to check on some other interesting event.
Day after day, I eagerly continue to discover the “powers” at Cop.
Beside the splendid pavilion of the host country Egypt, the most affluent spaces are those of big oil- and gas-producers, of banks and transnational corporations: they would praise “low-carbon” fossil fuels, blue and green hydrogen, digitalization for smart building and “climate smart agriculture”. Thanks to atomic science and new technology, they would sell dreams of consuming more while producing less and of capturing CO2 or changing clouds’ irradiation to reduce global warming.
They would even sponsor “nature-based solutions” as immense tree plantations or aggressive mining of minerals… in indigenous land!
To me, the theme “Together for implementation” should rather sounds “Together under the corporations”.
Two far-distant worlds are present at Cop27: the different voices and perspectives of the civil society, all of them people-centred and many of them spiritually focused, and the powerful voices of banks and corporations, rooted in materialism and flourishing on capitalism.
In the middle, the delegations of 158 States, trying to contain the climate crisis: their endless negotiations would split the dot about “just transition”, mitigation, adaptation and “loss and damage” to compensate Countries not responsible for the climate crisis but bearing most its toll. Unfortunately, the “common good” remains quite off-sight.
My discovery ends on November 18: the last official day of Cop27 most pavilions are empty, many people have gone, but the women and youth of the civil society continue to put pressure on the States. At 12.00 the President convenes an informal stocktaking: there are still pending issues before the cover decisions are finalised: work goes on.
A girl from Ghana, representing Youth and Children, asks to speak: «You are old enough: have a heart and do the maths. Show us your courage: no other Cop empty-handed! ».
The chief delegate of Norway adds: «Here we have power; yes, we have power. But not the power to change Physics. Those having more resources should do more…».
At last – I hope –, they will take some bold decision to address the root-causes of this crisis and cut down greenhouse gas emissions.
November 19, 9.00 a.m.; I am already at the airport and negotiations continue. Representatives of women and youth are still at the venue to express their frustration.
Once again, the political power of the States delegations has done very little: only an initial agreement on “loss and damage” and the adoption of “clean environment” as human right, but fossil fuels continue to receive subsidies and the temperature of the Earth continues to rise.
The women speak loud: «Unfortunately these negotiations are already “lost and damaged”, and if you want to fix them, you can start by kicking out the polluters and their lobbyists from these spaces».
Indigenous Peoples, women and youth have obtained too little, almost nothing, but do not give up.
This is my great discovery at Cop27!
