SHE Changes Climate COP27 Outcome
SHE Changes Climate and Partners are welcoming the breakthrough agreement on Loss & Damage finance but warning over the alarming lack of progress on mitigation. We must restore the integrity of the UN System and implement a 50:50 vision at the top no later than 2023 at COP28.
Today, governments convening at COP27 agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund. This is an important initial step at bringing justice to billions of peoples, particularly women in the global South, enduring extreme droughts, supertyphoons, floods, and sea level rise. This win is the result of the persistent struggle of civil society and peoples' movements to hold developed countries to account for a crisis wealthiest economies have historically created.
The fight for Loss and Damage Fund – three decades in the making and fighting from developing countries – has not been easy.This is a major breakthrough, but we should also ensure that innovative sources of finance are being scaled up to add to the initial pledges made by countries. Women should also be involved in the governance and management of the new Fund.
While we celebrate this important win on Loss and Damage for the most vulnerable people, we are also mindful that the COP27 has failed to make progress on a critical area: phasing out all fossil fuels – including oil and fossil gas – not only coal as discussed in Glasgow. Coal is mainly being produced in the global South (although much more polluting) but the biggest polluters, in terms of consumers, are in the US, Europe, China and emerging economies where oil and gas are currently not addressed for phase out, and even less in the OPEC countries. There has been some progress at COP27 with 80 Member States calling for the phase out of fossil fuels and a lot of support for the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, but this will remain a big challenge for the coming year.
There has also been some interesting opening on the energy just transition plans, including also during the G20 Summit in Bali and the need to reform the Bretton Wood Institutions (World Bank- IMF). But this is only the start of what is urgently needed: a systemic transformation of finance and energy incentives.
Youth, indigenous people and women's voices have been stronger than ever before, with a COP decision on Youth and a COP decision on the Gender Action Plan. But more remains to be done at COP28, especially on finance for gender-centered action.
It is interesting to note that the most significant outcome of COP27, on loss and damage, has been delivered by women, with the Minister of Chile, Maisa Rojas playing a central role as lead negotiator and facilitator. The new discussion on the World Bank and IMF was very much led by the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, another powerful woman pioneering new discussions for a systemic transformation of international financial institutions. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, promoting her Bridgetown Initiative that expands the idea with reform of multinational development banks, and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon “have been fearless” in pushing for some kind of compensation system.
For next year, we think it is absolutely essential to empower women, with a 50:50 vision at the top, starting with the Presidency team. Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment could be appointed as Co-President together with Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy.
We are very pleased to hear that the new High-Level Climate Champion will be a talented woman, but also hear that the special envoy will be another man again.
By adopting a Co-Presidency approach the UAE has a unique opportunity to demonstrate bold vision and action by being the first country to showcase and pioneer a new model of shared leadership. A Co-Presidency approach is essential to rebuild trust and integrity to the COP28 agenda. Uniting Energy, the Environment, and Climate Change would increase the level of trust and transparency towards the COP process for all of those who are concerned about the influence of the fossil fuel industry. A Co-Presidency approach offers the chance for women and men to work together to set a precedent for our planet's climate future and help restore the integrity of the UN system.
The time for implementing a 50:50 vision is now. We can only address this planetary emergency by working together in a process of radical collaboration.
Quotes:
“Pleased to see the progress on Loss and Damage finance facility and Action for Climate Empowerment, but hugely disappointed at the review of the Gender Action Plan and the unprecedented barriers for civil society participation”
- Cathy Yitong Li, UNFCCC Women and Gender Constituency, China/UK
“I wish we had got to fossil fuel phase-out. But we have shown with the loss and damage fund that we can do the impossible. So we can come back {to COP} next year and get rid of fossil fuels once and for all”
- Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, Climate Special Envoy for the Marshall Islands and Poet
“Women Injustice, which is a key factor needing addressing at COP27 because climate change is crippling the most vulnerable communities and countries that contribute the least to the problem, was not adequately tackled including in the Gender Action Plan”
- Mary Nyasimi, ICCASA, Kenya
‘I feel the process has been hijacked by the fossil fuel industry, and that COPs will be unable to deliver until they have managed to step away from the industry that is primarily responsible for the emissions that are driving global heating. Women can help with restoring a balance. Their absence is a major problem. Now our male colleagues have to earn back our trust and also the people’s trust worldwide”
- Bianca Pitt, Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate
“Acting alone can be tiring, isolating and endless. COP is a beautiful opportunity that brings people together and allows groups to join hands. Regardless of what the COP27 outcome is, people have been connected across the world and that is powerful”
- Frances Storey, SHE Changes Climate Head of Partnership Engagement
“The recognition of Nature-based Solutions at COP27 provides Parties with a robust framework for effectively harnessing nature’s role in addressing climate adaptation and mitigation. It will also enable Parties to exercise greater oversight in the implementation of solutions, and avoid misuse and abuse of the meaning and definition of nature-based solutions.”
- Antoinette Vermilye, Co-Founder Gallifrey Foundation
“Without action to rapidly reduce carbon emissions, all the rest of the negotiations – however laudable – will be for naught as we will suffer the irreversible and catastrophic impacts of heating above 1.5℃. COP27 has shown again that the male-dominated COP leadership is stuck in economic paradigms that are not able to address the climate emergency for what it really is — an existential threat to all life on Earth. Women, in all their diversity, bring voices and attitudes that are essential to shift priorities from short-term market-driven criteria to long-term human and planetary wellbeing. Gender balanced and inclusive governance is crucial at all levels of decision making for a climate secure future. We need quotas and shared and equal counsel (including co-chairs) in all national and international forums for developing action on climate change. COP28 is an absolute deadline for this.”
- Dr Janet Salisbury, Founder of Women’s Climate Congress
”Anticipating, coping and recovering from shocks like we faced this year in Pakistan and Africa will be part of everybody’s vocabulary - the world must be prepared to take a holistic approach to food, connecting solutions from all groups - women, men, indigenous peoples, farmers, scientists and civil society to ensure that the food systems are climate resilient. COP27 was naturally a watershed moment for agriculture and food, but more needs to be done and unpacked to ensure that food is perceived as part of a solution and a critical agent of change”
- Mimansha Joshi, UN Adaption Division Consultant and SHE Changes Climate Ambassador
“Until businesses recognize gender equity as critical to climate action, progress toward net-zero will be impeded and opportunities left unrealized”
- Accelerating the Race to the Net Zero through Gender Equity.
“We must thank Minister Yasmine Fouad and all the other Egyptian women leaders for leading on ambitious climate, energy and nature initiatives. But certainly, we would have had a better COP27 outcome with more women leading the negotiations at every level of decision-making. We are now asking for a 50:50 vision at the top for COP28 in Dubaï. The UAE could be pioneering a new model of shared leadership, with a co-presidency, bringing gender and environmental integrity to the whole UNFCCC process. Women need to be in decision-making positions, not just on the podium to look nice. We can only address the planetary emergency, the triple crisis for climate, people and nature, if we work together as One team for One planet, with women and men co-leading a systemic transformation of society for a sustainable future. Our children are looking up. Let’s make sure they don’t look down. We must act for their future. ’
- Elise Buckle, Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate
“Women in developing countries particularly in Global South who are heavily economically dependent in Agriculture Sector are frontline farmers but are simply considered as helping hand. It's time to have the perspective of women towards farming and bring the concept of equality to have our daily meal on the table"
- Shristi Adhikari, SHE Changes Climate volunteer and youth activist
"Women in many countries grow and prepare much of the food, yet they, along with children, are the most affected by climate change and food insecurity. We need to empower women farmers to help them become the heroes that they truly are rather than victims"
- Karlee Schnyder, Real Food Systems Founder
Women continue to be affected disproportionately by poverty and face ongoing social, economic and political barriers to equality in all parts of the world. As a result, they are disproportionately impacted by climate change. As one of the groups most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, women will experience considerable losses that cannot be addressed by adaptation or development efforts. This is what is called Loss and Damage, and the topic of Loss and Damage financing in climate negotiations was and still is a heated one. From Loss and Damage not even being on the agenda, to a surprise inclusion at the beginning of the negotiations, there has been a remarkable reversal of direction, and COP27 has finally agreed on a loss and damage fund to support the most vulnerable who have been impacted by the climate change. However, there is still much work to be done. To quote Mohamed Adow, Executive Director - Power Shift Africa, “It is worth noting that we have the fund but we need money to make it worthwhile. What we have is an empty bucket. Now we need to fill it so that support can flow to the most impacted people who are suffering right now at the hands of the climate crisis.” So, that empty bucket, now needs to be operationalized. And it needs cold, hard financing to do that. The hard work starts now, filling up the bucket with political will and actual funding. Hopefully we don’t have to start from square one again, and the momentum of celebration can drive us forward into the creation of a brave new world that those next seven generations deserve. However, not all are positive. One former Pacific island negotiator questions: “The Loss and Damage mechanism is an empty bucket. Who will fill it, by how much, by when, how will the funds be accessed and by whom?”. But let us not lose heart or courage, and let us start working towards Cop28”
- Caroline Mair-Toby, SHE Changes Climate Chief Empowerment Officer
UNFCCC documents adopted:
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