After Cop27 – what next for the battle against the climate crisis?
Saphora Smith lays out what has to happen to build on the positives and help mitigate the shortcomings of the recent summit in Egypt Many feel the Cop27 summit failed to make meaningful progress to reduce emissions O ur planet is still in the emergency room this was the parting shot of the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres , at the end of the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt. Guterres welcomed a breakthrough agreement to set up a fund to compensate vulnerable nations for destruction caused by the climate crisis, but warned that the summits failure to address the need to reduce emissions left the planet in a perilous state. A fund for loss and damage is essential but its not an answer if the climate crisis washes a small island state off the map or turns an entire African country to desert, he said. One commentator put it this way: at Cop27 the world may have agreed to start treating the symptoms of the climate crisis but did not do enough to eradicate its cause . So what now? Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Theres a historic responsibility by the polluters, I hope that is enshrined somewhere in any decision AFP via Getty Images From left: John Kerry, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Cyril Ramaphosa and Olaf Scholz meet on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt A Fridays for Future or school strike for climate protest at Cop27 Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Many feel the Cop27 summit failed to make meaningful progress to reduce emissions Getty/iStock Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Log in New to The Independent? Or if you would prefer: Want an ad-free experience? Hi {{indy.fullName}}