It's been a somewhat bewildering start to COP27 even for someone like me whose been to 14 of them; but this COP definitely has a very different feel, look and purpose to many other previous COPs I’ve been to.
It certainly doesn't have the sparkle of COP26 in terms of number of important and ambitious announcements or the expressed optimism of "keeping 1.5 degrees alive”, but it is promoted by many world leaders as being equally important as an "implementation" COP, and it may still yet break records in terms of number of registrations and the volume of meetings and interactions taking place within the blue zone (UN secure precinct) and the green zone (outside of UN registered precinct).
The footprint (including carbon I suspect) of the blue zone is massive hosting not only the formal negotiations, but also many trade and expo pavilions of not only nations, but also trade unions, think tanks and private sector (including FMG Fortescue via the Minderoo Foundation); and there are many hundreds of NGO exhibits.
Logistically getting from point A to B in the UN precinct is a major navigation challenge given the scale of operations, as is remaining hydrated due to the searing heat.
The COP kicked off on Sunday, 6 Nov by hosting a 3 day "Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit"; this is normally called the High Level Segment where Heads of State and Governments make short political statements of support and/or criticisms (usually developing nations taking aim at developed nations) and/or reaffirming and/or announcing enhanced commitments and actions. Apart from the UN Secretary General's observation that "Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact – or a Collective Suicide Pact" it's not clear there was anything new or unexpected made headlines.
Australia does seem well represented already with Pat Conroy (Minister for International Development and the Pacific) attending ahead of Chris Bowen's and the new Environment Ambassador, Kristin Tilley presence next week. I used to work with Kristin back in the Australia Greenhouse Office where (and I still can’t believe it) she was a graduate when I was Director - she's very talented and will be a great ambassador following the capable footsteps of Jamie Isbister (as well as Howard Bamsey back in the day). Australia's pavilion also stands in prime position and in close proximity to the UK, US and business (represented by the International Chamber of Commerce). It is showcasing a theme of First Nations peoples and the Australian Government has formally included indigenous representatives in its delegation.
The "Implementation Summit" finished tonight (or 3am Canberra time) with a powerful statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. He observed that many in politics and business still don't take climate change seriously enough; they spin the same rhetoric that they do, but privately mock those who actually do. He targeted them as being the ones that start “wars of oppression”; and the "Russian war" is causing an energy crisis including an enhanced reliance and resumption on coal fired power generation, in addition to a food crisis and the destruction of over 5 million hectares of forest in Ukraine in the past 6 months due to Russian shelling. He soberly said that “there can be no effective climate change policy or action without peace on earth” and highlighted the destructive impact of military action on climate, environment and all the world’s peoples.
Some notable engineering-relevant discussions on the UNFCCC agendas which now commence from today in earnest include the adopted SBSTA agenda such as:
- Glasgow–Sharm el-Sheikh work programme on the global goal on adaptation
- Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts
- Matters relating to urgently scaling up mitigation ambition
- Matters relating to the global stocktake under the Paris Agreement
- Matters relating to the implementation of response measures serving the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement (just transition and economic diversification)
- Carbon markets including "Guidance" Article 6.2 (international trading) and rules for Article 6.4 (replacement market for the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism)
- Development and transfer of technologies
In regard to the last point (technology), enhancing climate technology development and transfer through the Technology Mechanism via the work of the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN). This is an important agenda for engineering action however is manifestly void of engineering expertise. The basis of the work of the TEC/CTCN is to pursue collaborative partnerships and strategic engagement with bodies, processes and initiatives under and outside the Convention, including the private sector. An opportunity exists to explore further what role the global engineering community could play in informing the UNFCCC's technology platform (mitigation and adaptation).