The annual United Nations climate summit kicked off over the weekend in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. But even as government representatives, environmental groups, scientists, and business leaders gather in the Red Sea resort town for COP27 (COP stands for Conference of Parties), the earth is on track for a catastrophic 2.5°C of heating by the end of the century. “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator,” UN secretary general António Guterres said at the summit opening. “The global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade–on our watch.”
Last year’s event, COP26, took place in Glasgow, where countries failed to commit to measures that would keep global heating below 1.5°C. And although they agreed to bring forward revised national commitments in line with that goal this year (instead of the originally planned five years), the prospects for significant progress at COP27 are dim. Fewer than 25 of 193 countries have so far submitted revised commitments. What is more, geopolitical and economic turbulence and the failure of wealthy, polluting countries to help poor, vulnerable ones cope with climate impacts (that the latter had little or no part in causing) make the goal of last year’s rallying cry to “keep 1.5 alive” fragile at best.
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