Discussions this Wednesday (9) at the UN Conference on Climate Change, taking place in the city of Harm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, revolved around the topic of climate finance. There was little progress in the negotiating chambers, but the United States took the opportunity to announce the launch of a market mechanism to help with the energy transition of developing countries.
The mechanism, called the Energy Transition Accelerator, is based on a public-private alliance that involves the purchase of carbon credits, the reduction in the use of fossil fuels and the increase in renewable energy.
John Kerry personally went to the COP to announce the initiative.
“We want climate justice now”
This Wednesday morning, the first demonstration of the event took place on the site of the UN climate conference. Historically, the COPs have been characterized by the intense participation of civil society, as a way not only to expose their wishes and needs, but also to push negotiators towards a more audacious position regarding tackling climate change.
However, at COP 27, Egypt made it clear that protests are not welcome and are prohibited inside or outside the Convention Center. On Tuesday night, an early protest was suppressed at an event hosted by the German government. The organizers, fearing for the safety of the participants, were quick to ask that slogans not be chanted.
The human rights problems in Egypt as a whole, and the lack of welfare guarantees for COP participants, caused some participating countries to file a formal complaint with the Egyptian government. The fear is that such questions dominate what really needs to be discussed at the Conference.
Childhood, adolescence and climate change
UNICEF Brazil launched its first today report on children, adolescents and climate changeshowing that currently 40 million girls and boys are exposed to more than one climate or environmental risk, such as air pollution, lack of access to education in regions where schools are in risk areas, and intense heat, among many others.
For UNICEF, climate change threatens the guarantee of fundamental rights and healthy development. The report also points to the fact that most public policies and national plans related to climate and the environment make little mention or ignore the specific vulnerabilities of children and adolescents in general and of the most vulnerable groups in particular.
fossil of the day
The Fossil of the Day, an “award” created by the WWF and given daily during the Climate Conferences to nations that have acted contrary to the goals of the meeting, was given to Japan.
In a day of financing discussions, Japan was highlighted as the world’s largest public financier of oil, gas and coal projects. Resources poured into these projects were in the order of 10.6 billion dollars per year. Money is not missing.