'Clear breakdown in trust' threatens Cop27 talks, warns UN chief

Thu, 17 Nov, 2022 - 17:22

Pádraig Hoare, ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT

Talks to reach a meaningful deal between wealthy and vulnerable nations on how to avert the worst of climate change are in danger because of a "clear breakdown in trust".

That is according to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who warned negotiators at the Cop27 climate change summit in Egypt that the "world is watching" as they struggled to come to an agreement before the end of the event at the weekend.

Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a meeting with representatives of Brazilian civil society during the Cop27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Thursday. Picture: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

The main sticking point is a fund that would compensate more vulnerable nations for human-induced climate change, as well as watered-down language around fossil fuel usage.

The US is among the nations reluctant to agree to the fund, fearing it would leave it open to a range of legal liabilities because of its traditionally high greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Guterres said: "The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver. Global emissions are at their highest level in history and rising.

"Climate impacts are decimating economies and societies — and growing. We know what we need to do, and we have the tools and resources to get it done."

"There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger pointing. No one can deny the scale of loss and damage we see around the globe. The world is burning and drowning before our eyes."

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, who was appointed EU ministerial representative on so-called "loss and damage" to work alongside European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, made an impassioned plea for a deal to be reached.

"We hope and get an outcome we can all rally behind. We need this. We want it. We want it but it can't be under what's been presented so far," he said.

The perspective around loss and damage has been "turned into a yes or no on a fund" that will not get the job done, he added.

Call on industry

He once again called on the oil and gas industry, as well as aviation and shipping, to be on the hook for compensation.

"The global oil and gas industry will see net income revenues this year of $3.9trn, double what it was last year, and I believe it's fair that they make a contribution towards the funding that we will need for the scale of loss and damage we're going to need.

"I heard Mary Robinson earlier this week, I was at an event with her, and she made simple points. There's some 4.9 billion air tickets sold last year. If we had €1 for every ticket, that would give some €4.5bn towards the loss and damage fund.

"That could give you a certainty in ongoing funding support to make the change. The same if we could do something similar on every shipping container. It's that variety of new income streams that would help us bring up the scale of the funding we need to provide for loss and damage."