What to look for in the second week of COP27

Climate Adaptation Agenda

COP27 has set out to focus more on adaptation to climate change, which seldom attracted much attention in previous climate talks. But with disastrous events such as the flooding in Pakistan and drought in Eastern Africa, the dramatic effects of global warming are now looming large over any climate conversation.

The Egyptian presidency launched the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda on 8 November, to enhance the resilience of the 4 billion people living in the most climate vulnerable communities by 2030. The key phrase here is “locally-led” adaptation but it remains to be seen how the topic of adaptation will feed into the negotiations, discussions about financing and the future climate plans of countries, cities, and companies as well international institutions.

Negotiations

Two perspectives are at the centre of negotiations at COP27 – the need to speed up greenhouse gas reductions and the need to increase climate justice. At COP26, the two ended up being seen as competing, with some low-income countries trying to block reduction proposals and stronger wording on the phasing out of fossil fuels unless high-income countries delivered on their financial commitments. But the positions are less clear at COP27, with fewer statements and no official draft papers circulated yet.

The topic of loss and damage is however unavoidably at the heart of negotiations. It is clear how the financing promised so far pales in comparison to the toll of disasters like in Pakistan but also to assessments of future needs. If COP27 would be able to untangle the contentious issues of financing and compensation, it would be remembered as one of the most significant climate meetings in history, but the challenge is huge as most richer countries remain firmly opposed to the loss and damage concept.

Water is critical to both adaptation and financing since the impacts of climate change are mainly felt in the form of too much or too little water, for example as floods or droughts.

New role for water in climate action

The trends listed here all demonstrate that the narrative about water and climate is now rapidly shifting, with a better understanding of the role of nature and landscapes – land, freshwater and oceans. Already in Glasgow last year, this perspective began to feature more prominently and there is now a strong push from for example the Water Pavilion, with SIWI as an implementing partner, to ensure that this is reflected also in the outcomes of COP27.

The message is also brought forward to the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference and the UN 2023 Water Conference.  A real changemaker will likely be the forthcoming report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which held its first press briefing in the Water Pavilion on the morning of 14 November. “We will present our first findings at the UN 2023 Conference, showing how water must be integrated across the SDGs, climate and biodiversity, but also how it is a central question for development,” said lead expert Aromar Revi.