The world’s biggest emitters won’t attend a leaders’ summit kicking off the Cop27 climate talks in Egypt next week.
The world’s biggest emitters won’t attend a leaders’ summit kicking off the Cop27 climate talks in Egypt next week.
More than 100 heads of states and governments are expected to attend the two-day summit, on the theme of “implementation”, in the Red Sea beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh 7-8 November.
Amid soaring inflation and deepening geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the high-level event is a moment for leaders to recommit to international climate cooperation.
But a provisional list of speakers, dated 31 October, shows that neither China’s Xi Jinping nor India’s Narendra Modi are expected to attend.
US president Joe Biden won’t make the leader segment because of an agenda clash with the US mid-term elections on 8 November. A handful of tight races will determine whether the Democrats keep hold of the Senate.
Instead, Biden will travel to Sharm el-Sheikh on November 11, the White House has confirmed.
Europe will be better represented. Germany’s Olaf Scholz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and newly elected Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Sharm el-Sheikh for the leaders’ summit.
On Wednesday, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak announced he would be in Egypt to “deliver on Glasgow’s legacy”, after initially saying he wouldn’t go. Boris Johnson, who was in power when the UK hosted last year’s Cop26 summit, had already accepted an invite from the organisers.
There will be a strong showing from developing countries with at least 33 African leaders expected to take to the podium.
Besides the usual series of national statements, Egypt is organising six high-level roundtables to move the dial on critical themes.
On Monday afternoon, leaders have been invited to one of three parallel discussions on the “just transition”, food security and innovative finance for climate and development. Tuesday’s topics are green hydrogen, water security and “climate change and the sustainability of vulnerable communities”.
Heads of UN agencies, multilateral development banks and civil society representatives will join national leaders for the roundtable events.
In a letter to all participants, incoming Cop27 president Sameh Shoukry, said the roundtables have the aim “of developing practical, impactful and ambitious solutions” on key issues.
Shoukry said Egypt intends to restore what he called the “grand bargain” that underpins the Paris Agreement: that developing countries get financial support from historic polluters to cut their emissions and cope with climate impacts.
The story was updated on 03/11/2022 to include a response from the Canadian government.
( Curtesy climatechangenews.com)
