As diplomats, activists and policy experts return from COP27, many will have already begun their preparations for COP28 next year with little time for rest or reflection.

Throughout the recent history of COPs, their effectiveness at truly tackling climate change has often been questioned. Many feel that the process has turned into somewhat of a “climate fair”, with research from Global Witness showing that over 600 fossil fuel lobbyists were in attendance this year and an ill-fated headline sponsor of Cola-Cola all contributing to a distrust in the process amongst delegates.

But one thing from COP27 is clear: Time is running out to act on climate change.

The question many are now asking is whether enough was achieved at this latest COP?

The fight for loss and damage

This year, the headline of the negotiations has been loss and damage financing. Countries like the US and Germany are attempting to provide alternative finance mechanisms, working in partnership with groups of developing countries such as the Alliance of Small Island States (ASOIS) or the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Schemes touted such as the Global Shield were seen as a challenge to Loss and Damage financing, with western countries aiming to prioritise insurance-based schemes rather than immediate cash grants without debt conditions attached. 

For civil society both in the global south and north, climate financing that has a debt condition attached is an unacceptable offer, claiming that this will simply trap already struggling or developing economies into further debt. 

G77 countries came together, working as a block to defend what they saw as challenges against the loss and damage negotiations from countries such as the US and China, resulting in a “historic” deal agreeing to provide financial assistance to poor nations stricken by climate disaster.

“This is not about accepting charity,” Sherry Rehman the climate change minister of Pakistan said. “This is a down payment on investment in our futures, and in climate justice”.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said the fund was “an important step towards justice” for poor countries that have done little to cause the climate crisis but are suffering its worst impacts.

“I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund and to operationalise it in the coming period,” Guterres said. “Clearly this will not be enough, but it is a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust. The voices of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis must be heard.”

Human rights concerns

Another issue that hung over the conference was the questionable human rights record of the hosts, Egypt.

In the first few days, The Guardian reported that Human Rights Watch’s website had been blocked by the venue’s official WiFi. 

The UK government issued their delegates burner phones, as reported in The Times, concerned that the official COP app had surveillance capabilities that could read encrypted messages and emails. An Italian human rights worker, Giorgio Caracciolo, was barred from even entering the country despite having a valid visa and accreditation to attend COP. He said that no reason was given to him as to why he was denied entry. 

As this unfolded, Egyptian human rights activist and stalwart of the 2012 revolution Alaa Abd El-Fattah began a hunger strike to protest against his ongoing imprisonment and the abuses of Sisi’s regime. Over the last ten years, El-Fattah has been arrested many times for his activism in relation to human rights violations committed by Egyptian security forces and the use of military courts to try civilians.

El-Fattah’s sister Sanaa has been at this COP, working in coalition with other civil society groups to raise the plight of her brother and other political prisoners across the world who have been jailed for human rights and climate activism.

Agnes Callamard of Amnesty International defended Sanaa as she was challenged by an Egyptian government official as she hosted a press conference on Alaa’s imprisonment. 

Callamard stated that “Alaa is a prisoner of conscience who should never have been detained in the first place. Yet, now, he faces a very real risk of dying in custody while his family waits in agony for news.

“With the eyes of the world transfixed on the glittering resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh during COP27, the plight of Alaa and his family has exposed the frightening reality of Egypt’s human rights abuses and the authorities’ total disregard for human life and their obligations under international law.”

As the conference came to a close, Sanaa posted on Twitter that she disagreed with those who said the needs of the vulnerable were listened to during COP27.

I disagree with those who say that the needs of the vulnerable were listened to during #COP27. The needs of the vulnerable were strongly expressed, yes, from victims of the human rights crisis to victims of the climate crisis but we were not heard.

— Sanaa (@sana2) November 22, 2022

Civil society kept out in the cold

Another defining factor of this year’s COP was the intentional quieting and marginalising of global civil society. Organised “protests” took place in a designated zone, but unlike previous COPs, there was an absence of the spontaneous protests and demonstrations which usually formulate a large part of civil society activity at the conference.

Many feel that the hosts had clamped down on civil society’s ability to protest and demonstrate, vastly limiting their ability to follow the negotiations. There was also an extremely limited “Green Zone” this year where many of these organisations typically would congregate to follow the talks and meet to discuss tactics. The Green Zone was far away from the COP itself, and many delegates said they felt uncomfortable travelling there, as it was so isolated from the main conference and controlled by security officials. 

On the final Thursday of the conference, a People’s Plenary was held featuring representatives from Trade Unions, Youth, Women & Gender, Indigenous People’s Organisations, and Environmental and Disabled NGOs. For many, this was the first time they’d been able to gather together and speak freely about the negotiations and the overall movement, but this was almost at the end of the conference itself.

A statement from Al-Fattah’s sister Mona was read out, saying that protests for her brother’s release at COP27 had given them hope and that they were on their way to see Alaa in prison, believing that solidarity from civil society had kept him alive. They called on attendees of the People’s Plenary to continue standing up for human rights and fighting the climate crisis, calling this “the shared pain of people who believe in a better world”.

All eyes are now on COP28 in the United Arab Emirates to see what progress is made on loss and damage and whether, once again, the human rights record of the hosts will cast a dark cloud over proceedings.

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