This is the main title of Telegram. ” COP27 ended yesterday with a pact to compensate the poorest countries for climate disasters. For the rest…notes the Breton daily, the final text makes no mention of phasing out fossil fuels. »
Indeed, positive point, raises Le Figaro : “ The decision to create, within a year, a fund for “losses and damage”, in order to come to the aid of countries which suffer extreme climatic disasters for which they are not responsible. This European Union proposal had been considered in secret for several months. And the representatives of vulnerable countries and especially the forty island countries, directly affected by the rise in sea levels, can return home by showing their compatriots that they have been heard. »
However, a downside and size, emphasizes Le Figaro : “ The text adopted does not include new ambitions such as the gradual or total exit from fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). (…) The text even leaves some fearing a step backwards. It is (indeed) mentioned in particular, alongside the interest of renewable energies, those which “make few emissions”. A formulation that could favor natural gas, which emits half as much as coal and of which Egypt is one of the producers. »
A minimalist agreement…
Therefore, ” emergency will wait », sighs Release on the front page. ” This COP has not settled the question, however essential, of the drastic reduction of our emissions “, underlines the newspaper. ” There was a time when we would have welcomed the glass half full. But the climate emergency requires that we no longer be satisfied with this half-hearted agreement. »
Indeed, insist The latest news from Alsace“ nothing has been decided that is likely to reduce greenhouse gases and no compromise has been found on fossil fuels, although these are vital aspects. Because we had to conclude on an agreement, we concluded on an agreement, but which says nothing more than those passed last year in Glasgow or the previous years. With sibylline declarations, fruits of diplomatic compromises totally out of step with the urgency of the situation. All this does not engage. »
Who will pay ?
However, the creation of a fund to finance the losses and damages of the countries most exposed to the impacts of climate change is a historic decision: ” This is a victory for civil society in favor of climate justice, asserts in The worldAurore Mathieu, international policy manager at the France Climate Action Network. The developed countries have finally responded to the call launched almost thirty years ago. However, she tempers, the countries of the South remain a little wary about the realization of this fund. Who will benefit ? Who will contribute ? What will be the sources of funding ? UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for taxing fossil fuel companies. Developed countries should not take years to unlock fundingwarns Aurore Mathieu. The promise to make this fund operational by COP28 in November 2023 will be a real test to restore confidence between the North and the South. »
Indeed, “who is going to pay? “, also wonders South West. ” How could China be exempted from getting its hands on its black coal wallet when the United States and the European Union would be legitimately involved? The modalities will be specified at the next COP in a year’s time in Dubai. As the territory of the United Arab Emirates is mainly made up of the desert, it is better to expect new mirages… »
No climate police…
” The COP limit, remember The voice of the North, it is that the States’ commitments are not binding. There is no greenhouse gas emissions policy. We must rely on the responsibility of leaders and peoples vis-à-vis future generations. And perhaps encourage this virtuous attitude by imagining demanding environmental clauses in trade agreements between States. »
And the northern daily to wonder: ” Would the two leading world powers, the United States and China, which represent 44% of emissions, accept it? »