In November 2022, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt hosted people worldwide. COP27 is the twenty-seventh conference organized by the United Nations to protect the environment this year. COP27 stands for "Conference of the Parties." It is a conference where all parties are invited to prevent the problems caused by climate change. The United Nations has started this process by rolling up its sleeves for climate change, which threatens the world's and humanity's future. A binding framework has been built for the parties. It was hopeful that they would come together in one of the coastal cities of Egypt with this beautiful nature for the conference.
During the 14 days between the 6th and 20th of November, participants from various world geographies, with different beliefs, ethnic affiliations, and political opinions, and from various interest groups came together for a common purpose at COP27. The parties' shared goals are to minimize the catastrophe caused by the approaching climate change to the ecological balance and humanity. Many decisions have been taken to reverse this process, which has significant and dangerous consequences such as climate change, and to prevent it from turning into the destruction caused by the climate crisis. Heads of government, representing more than a hundred states, came together. More than thirty-five thousand participants exchanged ideas for two weeks in line with their common goals. A polyphonic conference resulted in reconciliation.
In the process of climate talks that have been going on for thirty years, for the first time, an agreement has been reached that countries with developed economies should not leave developing countries alone in the face of disasters caused by climate change. It has been decided to support economically in search-rescue and reconstruction processes. Countries with a high level of welfare will establish a loss and damage fund that can benefit the financially backward developing countries damaged by climate change. It is a fundamental way to ensure a fair process in climate change.
It must help developed and developing countries by releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere to ensure a fair process in the actions to be taken against climate change. The way to convince developing countries to reduce carbon emissions is to create policies that provide consensus and support them for the steps that need to be taken. Developing countries have sufficient information about the possible causes and devastating consequences of climate change, which has been documented as a result of the long-standing and constantly updated studies of scientists. Still, they need more capital to take the necessary steps, eliminate these causes, and reverse the results.
The fragile economies of developing countries force them to grow at all costs, and at this point, human and environmental rights can be ignored and ignored. Due to climate change, which is exacerbated by the developed countries with the most significant carbon emissions, developing countries have been the primary victims of a problem of which their share is small due to the vulnerability of their geographical location to climate change-related disasters. Take Turkey as an example, and our country is a developing country. Due to high inflation and economic recession that shook the world, T.C. The purchasing power of its citizens is decreasing daily, and industrialists, farmers, and artisans have difficulty accessing credit due to the decrease in the money supply. And yet, it is not rational to expect it to switch to responsible production and consumption sensitive to climate change, which will bring a new cost to it when it has become so difficult to compete in the market.
With each passing day, more polluted air is inhaled, harming humanity's health. The farmer is struggling with drought in more challenging conditions. At the same time, it becomes more difficult for industrialists and merchants to access quality raw materials. This is why it is essential to ensure capital justice in the face of the problems that the climate crisis will create. If climate change is to be reversed before it turns into climate destruction, this is only possible thanks to the cooperation of developed and developing countries.
This process has also been discussed repeatedly by the United Nations Secretary-General. The Secretary-General showed that their level of awareness was high by saying, "If the developed and developing countries fail to reach a historical consensus, we will face a catastrophic situation." Ensuring the justice of the resources allocated to the climate crisis is indispensable for the reversal of climate change and the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C of the Paris Climate Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 with the approval of one hundred and ninety-five countries. It will be ensured that a determined and effective climate action is taken jointly by maintaining equality and solidarity in the approach to containment against climate change by the hundred participating states. Otherwise, some developed countries, which ignore the carbon emissions of their vast production and consumption chains to increase their geopolitical and economic competitiveness, invite developing countries to act responsibly on climate change, which will not go beyond being a weak call. In a world where global warming quickly exceeds 1.5°C and is based on 2°C, no one will be safe.
With COP27, it has been a meaningful way to take effective and determined climate action by trying to ensure justice in the economic dimension of the crisis created by climate change. The financial support developed countries will provide to developing countries such as Turkey within the scope of combating climate change is vital in making these countries feel equal and on the same boat as developed countries. To the extent that the aid is realized, the developing countries will try to put their hands under the responsibility more.
Over time, technological and technical support will be added to the economic support, with the help of competent human resources in creating a responsible production and consumption chain sensitive to climate change, thus increasing the size and effectiveness of the struggle. This conference series, in which the United Nations tries to build a binding framework for its stakeholders in the context of combating climate change, and its decision-making mechanism are prolonged. After the decision is taken, it takes longer to make it work. On the other hand, climate change is getting closer to becoming climate destruction with every passing second. At this point, the main reason for carbon emissions is to radically reduce fossil fuel use. First, solutions must be found to make responsible production and consumption chains sensitive to nature and the environment dominate the world markets.
As a result, establishing the loss and damage fund agreed upon by the United Nations due to COP27 has undoubtedly been an important step. It is crucial to limit global warming, which is the main target, to 1.5°C. Unfortunately, there was a missed opportunity at COP27 in the context of not taking more effective and faster measures against climate change like previous conferences and events.
Author:
Furkan Ünal
Source: