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CHARM EL-CHEIKH, November 20, 2022 - At the end of more than two weeks of climate negotiations at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27), Équiterre welcomes the rapid adoption of a financing mechanism to compensate for the loss and damage suffered by vulnerable countries and communities around the world. However, Équiterre deplores the lack of ambition of developed countries, including Canada, regarding commitments to eliminate all fossil fuels from the global energy mix, even though they are at the root of the climate crisis.
"The issue of loss and damage was added to the negotiation agenda at the last minute, and a glass ceiling has been shattered on climate justice through the hard work of Southern countries and civil society. It's a testament to the ability of developed countries to recognize the issues and move negotiations forward quickly when the will is there»
said Andréanne Brazeau, Policy Analyst at Équiterre, from COP27 in Egypt.
Nevertheless, developed countries, including Canada, did not step up enough to address the issues. Beyond the progress in terms of loss and damage, we are still heading towards planetary warming of 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100 instead of the 1.5 degrees set by the Paris Agreement. It is disappointing that Northern countries came practically empty-handed to COP27 both in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, adaptation and climate finance.
"Although we managed to protect the wins made at COP26 in Glasgow, the oil and gas sectors maintain a strong influence. We still cannot adequately name fossil fuels as the main cause of the climate crisis in a framework decision. It's not right that big polluters are still getting away with it while climate disasters are intensifying," said Émile Boisseau-Bouvier, Équiterre’s Climate Policy Analyst, also from Egypt.
Canada’s many inconsistencies
Canada's domestic climate policy influenced its performance at COP27. Contrary to the urgent calls of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), Canada chose the status quo on fossil fuels, which are at the root of the climate crisis.
"In addition to failing to make any significant announcements to catch up on domestic climate action, Canada has missed its chance to raise international ambition. Instead, it chose to provide a showcase for the false solutions of oil and gas companies in the programming of its very first COP pavilion," underscored Andréanne Brazeau.
Équiterre had significant expectations for Canada to arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh truly prepared with, among other things, an enhanced strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We also hoped to see Canada lead a just transition for fossil fuel industry workers, to put forward a plan on how to adapt to climate disruption, to assume its fair share of climate finance and to fulfill its COP26 promise to end international public financing for fossil fuels by the end of 2022. Our hopes did not materialize.
Welcomed announcements from Quebec, which need reinforcement
The Quebec government's announcements regarding the additional $10 million to the United Nations Climate Change Adaptation Fund and the $6.6 million to support the fight against food insecurity in Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti and Senegal are excellent news from an international cooperation perspective.
Équiterre is also optimistic about Quebec's new Mobilization Strategy for Climate Action, which comes with a $46.4 million envelope, while noting that mobilization is an essential lever to pressure governments to reach, and even exceed, current targets.
"Quebec's announcements are certainly positive, but they do not address the immediate issues of the climate emergency. Quebec's mission to COP27 was guided more by economic than environmental intentions. Although sometimes complementary, the former cannot replace the latter," added Émile Boisseau-Bouvier.
Équiterre believes that Quebec is still not doing its fair share of the global effort and deplores the government's refusal to raise its GHG emissions reduction target in line with the Paris Agreement. The absence of a new adaptation strategy or, at the very least, of adaptation guidelines is equally worrisome considering that Quebecers are already paying the price for the impacts of climate change.
"COP27 would have been the ideal opportunity for Quebec to demonstrate the need to act in accordance with the seriousness of the global climate crisis and to propose concrete measures to rapidly transform our society in a fair and sustainable manner," concluded Émile Boisseau-Bouvier.
Montreal will host COP15 on biological diversity in December, a summit that will provide another opportunity for states to align their environmental words and actions. The effect of the joint environmental crises of climate and biodiversity on our daily lives should be sufficient motivation for governments to act quickly and concretely, at the national and local levels.
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For more information:
Loujain Kurdi | Chargée de communications, Équiterre
514 577-6657 | lkurdi@equiterre.org
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