Evaluating COP27: from Africa's perspective

 COP27 was held and finished several weeks ago 'successfully'. COP27's primary focus is on climate justice. This means that developing countries, which account for the most negligible historical carbon emission, have unfairly suffered more from the global climate crisis. However, many scholars and critics have seen this conference as a 'failure' for many reasons. I agree with the critics and argue that Africa needs more practical help from COP27, which it failed to accomplish this time.



Five Tensions That Could Derail the COP27 Climate Summit - Scientific American

                                                                    Figure 1: a picture of COP27. (Source)


As the window of opportunity to meet our goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C or lower rapidly closes, COP 27 does too little on the most critical mitigation issue of all - reducing emissions.


Climate justice as the main focus has been mentioned, but not practically engaged by main carbon emitters. Although developing countries have successfully raised and member states have agreed to have funding as compensation for countries like Pakistan, COP27 failed to materialise this funding. This funding issue is left to the next conference. Governments should have agreed on who should pay, who should control the fund and how to deliver. Previous data show less than 10% of international climate funds reached the local level in 2019. COP27 needed to have developed a better way to distribute the compensation to African countries or even a better way of distributing existing funds to local communities. 

 

Similarly, from a carbon emission perspective, COP27 also failed to go beyond the 2021 Glasgow climate pact's promise to "phase down unabated coal power", and further negotiations will be taking place next year. Hence, COP27 needed to distribute more support for African countries regarding food and water from Africa's perspective. However, it is still raising global awareness in climate justice and forming a fund for losses and damages is a significant outcome of COP27, even though details have still to be worked out. Overall, COP27 failed in the way of being practical, and my next blog will focus on Africa's community water management.

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