Opinion | COP27: absent leaders and fossil fuel lobby weaken climate change fight

The latest UN climate change conference, COP27, is taking place with record-breaking drought in the Horn of Africa, famine warnings in Somalia and one-third of Pakistan devastated by deadly floods.

One of the central issues being debated is challenges that many developing countries face on the front lines of the climate disaster, despite accounting for a relatively smaller percentage of global emissions.

These countries are advocating for a “loss and damage” fund for offsetting damage previously incurred. Growing threats of conflict, global warming and economic crises are taking a toll on every continent, striking the Earth’s most vulnerable the hardest. The bone of contention in this year’s negotiations is the issue of what wealthy, industrialised nations, which produce most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, owe to those suffering the most from climate threats.

As host, Egypt aspired to project itself as a leader in renewable energy, a popular tourist destination and a credible player on the global stage. It has made an effort to position itself as the developing world’s climate champion. However, those initiatives appeared at odds with the nation’s alarming human rights and environmental records.

As it becomes difficult for many people to live healthily on a warming planet, there are increasing calls for wealthy countries to pay climate-vulnerable nations. Rich countries have long opposed the establishment of a fund to address loss and damage, despite producing most of the historical greenhouse gas emissions.