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The second half of the United Nations Climate Conference in Egypt is beginning to descend. It ends on November 17, and twenty thousand participants return home. The intention of most of them is to be a little closer to guaranteeing the goal of the Paris Agreement that global warming will not exceed one and a half degrees from what it was at the beginning of the industrial revolution. It has proved difficult to reach agreement on how.
Fear that the result will not be clear enough
At a similar conference in Glasgow, Scotland last year, the participants wrote up statements that the emission of greenhouse gases should be sharply and significantly reduced. Now some fear that an attempt is being made to reach a compromise under the guise that the goal of one and a half degrees is not realistic. Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, raised such concerns with the media recently, but said that such concerns could not be accepted. The Organization of Poorer Countries at the meeting in Egypt has also declared that the goals must not be diluted, that emissions must be cut in half by 2030.
Climate issues not separated from the debate on inequality
Conversations about what have been called losses and damages in this context revolve around the fact that the richer countries must help the poorer ones with financial contributions to deal with the consequences of climate change, which hit the poor hardest. Food Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir is in Egypt on behalf of Iceland and addressed the gathering this week. She says it is not time to despair of success. At previous climate conferences, good solutions were sometimes thrown in completely in the last few hours, but there is certainly a tension underneath about how to keep to the goal of a maximum of one and a half degrees. Under the banner of loss and damage, we discuss the effects of climate change on people, structures and infrastructure and how to finance the response. It is not possible to talk about climate without putting it in the context of a discussion about inequality in the world.
The gap between rich and poor needs to be bridged
The difference in facilities between nations and communities is a problem in itself, says Svandís, and to achieve success in climate matters, the gap between the rich and the poor must be bridged. Under the banner of loss and damage, we discuss how capital is transferred between parts of the world through funds and special decisions. Now, she says, there is more discussion about how companies and private parties can get involved in issues, not just looking at the states themselves.
Climate change can be marked on glaciers
The consequences of global warming can appear in many ways, but not least they can affect the state of the sea, water and glaciers. Svandís participated in an event at COP-27 about glaciers and how to preserve the glacier. It was a collaborative project with Chile. Svandís points out that Iceland and Chile, which are both mountainous, have a lot of glaciers and rivers that, for example, provide water for power plants. There were also representatives from countries where the main concern is whether the sea level will rise and threaten the existence of the inhabitants.
Everyone must come to the table
Svandís, together with other ministers from the Nordic countries, accepted the challenge of young Nordic environmentalists who urge the government not to budge on climate issues. It is extremely important that young people take the lead on the priorities that need to be set, because they are left with the consequences if things go wrong. It has been said that women are not sufficiently represented at the table in these discussions. An analysis by the BBC showed that women make up around 34% of negotiators and in some delegations nine out of ten are men. Svandís says that the concept of gender equality is, like the fight against poverty, necessary in climate matters. The Minister of Food also points out that the discussion on food safety has recently moved higher on the agenda in an international context.
In climate painting, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy conversion are key. It is a complex task and the solutions are also complex. No one simple answer is enough, Svandís says.
