Hosting a climate summit for 40,000 people in the desert, in the midst of a food and energy crisis, is no mean feat. But sympathy for COP27 host Egypt was running thin within hours of the first delegates arriving at the main venue in Sharm El Sheikh earlier this month.
The site itself was a tangle of temporary marquees and prefabricated structures nestled around an existing conference centre. Lost delegates plodded around in the baking sun, desperately searching for signs of their meeting room. Many were loath to download the official conference app for directions amid serious concerns of state surveillance.
There were long queues for food and water, and horror stories of people arriving at their hotels only to find their rooms double-booked or the price hiked by hundreds of dollars per night. “Chaos” was the verdict of a member of the UK delegation.
Advertisement
The difficulties set the tone for a conference that often felt as if it was lacking a clear vision or narrative. One minute, delegates could stroll into a side event to watch the launch of a new scheme to that rely on offsets; the next, they could listen to US climate envoy John Kerry tout to allow US firms to meet their climate goals.
They could sit in on a press conference where analysts warned that the world risks blowing its climate targets because of Europe’s “dash for gas” while just metres away, oil and gas firms boasted ofÂ
Side events designed to demonstrate progress since COP26 on key areas, such as deforestation or fossil fuel financing, heightened the sense of stagnation. At last year’s talks in Glasgow, UK, 145 nations promised to halt deforestation by 2030. launched in Sharm El Sheikh designed to deliver that pledge. In Glasgow, almost 40 nations committed to ending public financing for fossil fuel projects abroad, but the initiative attracted no new signatories in Egypt.
Oppressive state policing and Sharm El Sheikh’s sprawling layout contributed to the summit’s muted atmosphere. Egyptian police tried to relegate activists to a designated “protest zone” a car ride away from the venue, until – in an unprecedented move – the UN granted permission for
As the conference went on, there were flashes of excitement. An address from US president Joe Biden was briefly interrupted by the whoops of anti-fossil fuel protesters, while the arrival of Brazil’s president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 16 November sparked energetic chants of “olê, olá, Lula” through the pavilion halls.
During a speech to delegates, Lula promised to halt deforestation across Brazil by 2030 and to expand climate-friendly farming methods. at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, says these promises could get the country to net-zero emissions by 2040, 10 years earlier than planned. “Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be there when President Lula gave his speech,” he says. “I was very impressed, it was a beautiful speech.”
Rapprochement in Bali
Meanwhile, there was relief as the US and China agreed to restart co-operation on climate issues, after Biden met Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. Keen to underscore their newfound partnership, China’s climate envoy at COP27. “Even though I currently have a meeting with the German foreign minister, I told her to wait a little bit so I can come and talk to all of you,” Xie said at the event.
But behind the scenes, the formal negotiations had hit trouble. By 17 November, there were fears the summit could collapse altogether as countries butted heads over loss and damage financing. UN secretary-general António Guterres jetted in with : “This is no time for finger-pointing,” he said. “The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction.”
It didn’t stop countries pushing the talks to their limit, with fraught bargaining continuing well past the summit’s official deadline and even as the conference site itself was dismantled.
Sharm El Sheikh is usually a destination for sun-seekers looking for a week of relaxation. For COP27 delegates, their fortnight in the sun felt, at times, more like a test of endurance.
Sign up to our free Fix the Planet newsletter to get a dose of climate optimism delivered straight to your inbox, every Thursday
