Was COP27 nothing more than another COP out?

There are only so many "last chances" that we can take.

The COP26 last year in Glasgow was deemed the most important conference in the history of humanity. But, just like this year's COP, it failed to deliver. In fact, last year's failure was supposed to add an extra bit of urgency to this year's COP 27. Whilst there was undebatable evidence from scientists that human-induced climate change is causing incalculable disasters, greenhouse gas emissions must decline - the conference did not agree to cut down on fossil fuels. It is another letdown a year later, but there is still hope. 

Since last year's climate conference, emissions have continued to rise, all while the biggest polluters in the world do very little except pedal empty rhetoric. These conferences are always seen as the "last chance". COP 26 was called the "last chance saloon" by Prince Charles, and COP25 was named the "last chance to save the planet" by Japan's climate leader. COP24 named that year "our last best chance. Even Barack Obama called COP21 the "turning point", and Gordon Brown warned about it being "too late" at COP15 all the way back in 2009. 

So, it's understandable why this year's COP27 was met with a lot of scepticism. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began the conference by saying “These climate conferences remind us that the answer is in our hands and the clock is ticking” and “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing.” However, COP27's outcome was very clear; the world has signed onto a contract which falls right into the fossil fuel sectors' hands. This is why it has been labelled as the worst COP ever. 

It can be argued that COP is outdated and unhelpful. As a society, our reliance on fossil fuels has expanded, so much so that the global fossil fuel cartel has quickly evolved into one of the most powerful superpowers in the modern world. However, COP27 commitments are nothing more than aspirational - they are not legally binding nor is there a penalty for not achieving them. Since 1995 there have been 27 COPs, but not one formally binding agreement to cut down on fossil fuels. 

All hope is not lost, though. Years of campaigning from trade unions and civil societies meant that COP27 agreed to establish a fund for damage and loss. This recognises that importance of climate justice - those countries that are the main contributors to climate change must compensate those countries that are suffering the most despite emitting the least. 

Next year's COP28 will take place in Dubai in 2023 which promises to include an entire day devoted to the importance of education - something that we at Together for Climate feel passionately about. Honouring women and children through family planning will have beneficial side effects for the planet. You can support the institutions that work with education to help fight climate change here.