Deliberations at the UN climate conference (COP27) in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh continued on Saturday evening without any initially discernible results. EU delegation circles said that the Egyptian Presidency had not tabled any new motions for resolutions. The European Union has stepped up the pressure in the tough battle for a successful conclusion on Saturday morning.
The chief negotiator and head of EU climate policy, Frans Timmermans, said in a hastily convened press statement: “We’d rather have no deal than a bad one.” But he hadn’t given up hope and was optimistic that there would be another on Saturday. Negotiators could agree.
Timmermans called on the other negotiating partners to reciprocate the EU’s efforts to reach an agreement. The Union has taken “great steps”, but other countries have not progressed. This involves using a pot of money to finance climate-related damage in vulnerable countries (“loss and damage”). Timmermans emphasized that the United States would behave cooperatively.
A final design has not yet been worked out
The EU negotiators have not yet seen a final text, it said. According to the official schedule, the world climate conference should have ended on Friday evening. It has now been extended to Saturday. An end on Sunday or even a burst of talks on Saturday morning seemed possible.
In particular, decisions on the establishment of a fund or other financial instruments to compensate for climate-related damage are still pending. There was also no final agreement on the planned action program to reduce emissions, nor on other issues related to financing climate protection and adaptation. For a planned cover text with basic objectives, formulations were also struggled to the end.
Gewessler: “We need progress”
“We need progress, not regression. Here in Sharm el-Sheikh, it is being decided whether the 1.5 degree target still has a chance. The world cannot afford a bad deal. The EU still stands by its offer – now our negotiating partners must move,” said Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens, photo below).
The conference should end on Friday
The conference was supposed to end on Friday, but was extended due to the many unanswered questions. Whether that will be enough is still uncertain.
Source: Krone
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