COP27 explained: What it means for Australia
Australia will join other world leaders at COP27, the next big UN climate conference. This is what it means and what experts predict will unfold.
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The United National annual climate conference kicks off this Sunday in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. It’s called COP27 – the “COP” standing for the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the “27” representing the fact that this is the 27th such event. COP26 was in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021, and COP28 will be in Dubai in November 2023.
Here’s what you need to know.
What will COP27 focus on?
COP26 was one of the big media and world events of 2021 – dubbed a “last chance saloon” by the then Prince Charles, it featured big promises to cut emissions, and a surprise pledge from the US and China that they would work together on climate matters.
Since then, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced many nations to re-evaluate their energy mix – some European nations have temporarily pivoted back to coal – while extreme weather events have underscored just how bad things could get if the world collectively fails to curb emissions.
According to global climate politics expert Dr Jonathan Symons from Macquarie University, COP27’s focus will be “much more technical, and much more on adaptation to climate change, rather than the big mitigation announcements we saw last time.”
“I think we will see very few major new mitigation targets, as countries focus on implementing the promises they’ve already made, rather than shiny new promises,” he said.
But we can also expect to see some Africa-specific announcements, and a focus on international assistance for developing nations, which are encountering some of the worst effects of climate change, Dr Symons said.
Other events to watch for:
The Global Methane Pledge
In October the Australian government confirmed it would sign on to the Global Methane Pledge, a reversal from the previous government’s position. Some 122 nations have already signed the agreement to slash methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide, but in the short to medium term, it is a much greater contributor to global warming. Australia’s methane emissions come from a variety of sources, including agriculture (farting and belching livestock) and the gases that escape from mining operations, which are called ‘fugitive emissions’.
COP29 host
The Albanese government has signalled its intention to bid for the right to co-host COP29 in 2024, with a number of Pacific Island nations. While the announcement of the COP29 host is not necessarily expected in Egypt, there will be a concerted lobbying effort.
While Australia comes to COP27 with freshly-burnished climate credentials, thanks to the Albanese government’s 43 per cent emissions cut by 2030, and the intention to sign the Methane Pledge, some commentators believe this may not be quite enough for us to shake off our old ‘climate laggard’ tag and win hosting rights to a future COP.
“Australia is going to have to do a bit more to demonstrate that it really is serious in wanting to move to more of a global leadership position on climate change,” said Dr Simon Bradshaw, lead researcher with the Climate Council. “There will be expectation from our international peers that we’ll have something else to bring to the table.”
Dr Symons is a bit more optimistic.
“In the last year very few countries have increased their climate ambition, and Australia by moving to its 43 per cent target is the stand out major economy which has made a big shift since Glasgow,” he said. “The combination of Australia never having hosted a COP before, of the Pacific Island giving their support, and Australia having a bit of a glow from being one of the biggest improvers … lots of things are pointing in Australia’s direction but there are a few administrative hurdles to work through.”
What are the dates of COP27?
Pre-conference meetings have already kicked off in Egypt for various groups, with small island developing nations and African countries meeting among themselves. The conference proper stars on Sunday November 6, and is scheduled to run until November 18, although the COPs are infamous for running over-time, as negotiators and diplomats haggle over last-minute wording of documents.
Who can attend COP27?
More than 35,000 people are expected to attend COP27, with the official negotiations to be conducted by official representatives from each party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, of which there are 197. There will also be a huge media contingent, representatives from many first nations people from around the world, a plethora of industry executives, and a sprinkling of celebrities.
How many countries are in COP27?
Organisers have confirmed representatives from 190 parties will be in attendance.
Which leaders are attending COP27?
US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkiye’s President Erdogan have all confirmed their intention to intend. UK’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially said he had other priorities, but changed his position this week. His predecessor Boris Johnston will be there.
Which leaders aren’t attending COP27?
China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin won’t be in attendance. Newly elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to send deputies. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also won’t be attending.
Which Australians are going to COP27?
The official Australian delegation will be led by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, but there will be a plethora of Aussies at the main conference and associated side events. Business leader Twiggy Forrest, academics, environmental activists and indigenous leaders are all expected. Torres Strait Island traditional owner Yessie Mosby will be there with his 12-year-old son, Genia, to tell the world about the effect of climate change and rising sea levels on his island home.
One Aussie entrepreneur who has already made his mark on COP27 is Byron Bay’s Mike Smith, who this week constructed the world’s largest pyramid out of discarded waste sourced from the banks of the Nile to draw the world’s attention to the problem of plastic pollution. Smith, CEO of the company Zero Co, created the stunt to kick off the 100 Year Clean Up initiative, which aims to remove 15 million water bottles from the environment every year.
What is the Paris Agreement?
While scientists have been warning about global warming for decades, at COP21 in Paris in 2015 the countries of the world agreed in principle to do what they could to limit warming to between 1.5°C and 2°C degrees on pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement remains the guiding document for climate negotiations, although there is mounting concern that its ambitions will not be realised, with global temperatures already up by 1.1°C. According to the most recent calculations from the UN environment program, if all countries do what they say they will in terms of lowering emissions, this will still mean we will see global temperatures rise somewhere between 2.1°C and 2.9°C. Thus the need for continuing negotiations.
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