Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet
Get our free climate email
Pakistan’s prime minister made an emotional appeal at the UN’s Cop27 summit for wealthier nations to help countries reeling from the effects of the climate crisis. During his speech in Sharm el-Sheikh, Shehbaz Sharif said it was “now or never” to take action and warned that, “for us, there is no ‘planet B’”. “This cop is sounding the alarm for humanity, it’s the only platform where the survival of the human race as a goal still holds promise,” he said. “It is also the forum where we as vulnerable countries make our case to the rich and resourceful to build a road map for critical policy resets needed in a world burning faster than our capacity to recover.” Pakistan is being forced to spend billions of rupees from its own “meager resources” and will enter a “debt trap” if it continues to pay for the damage, he warned. Mr Sharif’s comments come in the wake of devastating floods in parts of Pakistan, which have affected 33 million people and caused an estimated £35bn of damage.
Basic points
Show latest update 1667970739
New Zealand commits $12 million to finance climate damage in developing countries
The New Zealand government announced on Wednesday that it will make $12 million in climate finance available to developing countries. Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaya Mahuta said the country’s decision to earmark the amount for damage and loss funds puts New Zealand at the forefront of rich countries. “International negotiations have faced difficulties in the past on calls for climate finance to address loss and damage, as some countries are concerned about what liability and compensation means,” Ms Mahuta said. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar November 9, 2022 05:12 1667968811
Greta Thunberg urges Egyptian authorities to release Briton
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined campaigners calling for the release of British-Egyptian writer Alaa-Abdel Fattah, who is being held illegally in a prison in Egypt. The pro-democracy activist stopped drinking water in protest. “During Cop27, we urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained simply for the peaceful exercise of their human rights, applying criteria set by local NGOs for these releases: justice, transparency, inclusiveness and urgency Ms. Thunberg tweeted. yesterday. “One of these prisoners is Alaa-Abdel Fattah, who is now on a water strike since the beginning of Cop27. “A system that does not meet the needs for climate justice and safeguarding human rights is a system that has failed everyone,” he added. “The human rights and climate movements are stronger when we stand in solidarity together.” Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 9 November 2022 04:40 1667967224
Putin’s war in Ukraine ‘destroyed 5 million acres of forest’
Russia’s war in Ukraine has destroyed 5 million hectares of forests in less than six months, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the UN climate summit Cop27. Addressing delegates in Egypt in a video message, the Ukrainian president accused Russia of obstructing and distracting from global efforts to combat climate collapse – warning that “there can be no effective climate policy without peace on Earth”. As world leaders grapple with how to control planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, Mr Zelensky claimed the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s incursion “has forced dozens of countries to restart coal-fired electricity generation for to lower energy prices for their people.” . Alisha Rahaman Sarkar November 9, 2022 04:13 1667966730
While billionaires are spending staggering sums to go to Mars, the Marshall Islands cannot secure international funding to save the country from climate catastrophe, the natural resources minister has warned. “There are these billionaires building rocket ships to go to Mars… All we’re asking is for them to give us the money to make sure the Marshall Islands can continue to exist in the world,” John Silk told the Independent in the Cop27 summit in Egypt. “We are talking about a nation on the brink of extinction.” Mr Silk said his country became an independent nation in 1979 and has since faced the prospect that it may not exist in the coming decades due to rising sea levels. “Where are you going?” asked. Saphora Smith reports from Sharm el-Sheikh. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 9 November 2022 04:05 1667966351
Watch: Barbados PM talks ‘ethical strategic leadership’ for young people
Cop27: Barbados PM talks ‘ethical strategic leadership’ for youth Andy Gregory9 November 2022 03:59 1667965786
Pakistan flood survivors are calling for more climate compensation
“What happens in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan” – that is the grim message Islamabad is displaying at its pavilion set up in the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where leaders from around the world have gathered on the climate of United Nations summit. It is a reminder that climate disasters and their impacts are not limited to poor countries and now is the time to act. This is the first time that UN climate negotiations have included Loss and Damage – a technical term that refers to the irreparable losses suffered by communities around the world due to the climate crisis – as an agenda item to be discussed at the session two-week peak. Farooq Sayyad, a 22-year-old student from Pakistan’s impoverished province of Balochistan, who is attending the UN climate summit for the first time, says he has no idea what the loss and damage fund is, but shares that his community still lives under water. massive floods in August. Stuti Mishra reports from Sharm el-Sheikh. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar9 November 2022 03:49 1667962631
No ‘free pass’: Antigua and Barbuda PM tells Cop27 India and China must pay for loss and damage
My colleague Stuti Mishra reports from Sharm el-Sheikh: India and China must pay climate damages along with other big polluters, the alliance for small island states said during the UN climate summit. Speaking to reporters including The Independent at Cop27 on Tuesday night, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who is also chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), called on all major polluters to pay for the proposed climate reparations. as “loss and damage” in negotiations. “We all know that India and China … are major polluters and polluters must pay,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said. “I don’t think there is a free pass for any country.” Andy Gregory9 November 2022 02:57 1667958791
Cop27 talks ‘started quite well’, says Germany’s climate envoy
Cop27 talks “got off to a good start” after a potential row over the agenda was avoided when countries agreed to formally discuss financial support for poor nations for the losses and damages they suffer from climate collapse, her envoy said. Germany for Climate Jennifer Morgan. he said. Ms Morgan hoped there would be a “substantial outcome” on the issue in two weeks of talks, with countries setting more ambitious targets to cut emissions and agreeing ways to ensure money flows to fight of global warming is in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. “The most vulnerable nations [should] know that we stand side by side with them and that there will only be more support there for them when these damages occur,” he told The Associated Press. “What exactly will it look like, that’s the deal here.” Andy Gregory9 November 2022 01:53 1667955251
The UK’s export credit agency will offer ‘climate-proof’ loans.
The UK’s export credit agency has said it will become the first in the world to offer “climate-proof” loans to support countries most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. UK Export Finance (UKEF) will offer loans that include the option of deferring debt repayments in the event of disasters, the Treasury has announced, with details of the plan to be given to Egypt. “I am proud that UK Export Finance is the first export credit company in the world to offer loans that suspend debt service payments for countries affected by climate and natural disasters,” said Finance Minister James Cartledge. The proposals would allow vulnerable countries to defer debt repayments to free up resources to finance disaster relief, the ministry said. Andy Gregory9 November 2022 00:54 1667951460
“There is no effective climate policy without peace,” says Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of obstructing international efforts against climate collapse with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, during a video call at Cop27. The Ukrainian president claimed that Russia’s war had led to the destruction of five million hectares of forest and blamed the war for soaring fossil fuel prices worldwide, forcing “dozens of countries to restart coal-fired electricity generation to lower energy prices for their people.” Referring to concerns over the Russian-held nuclear plant in Ukraine, Mr Zelensky asked fellow leaders: “Who will care, for example, about the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere if it is part of Europe or the Middle East and possibly of northern Africa, God forbid, covered in a cloud of radiation after an accident in Zaporizhzhia?’ Zelensky appealed to other governments to help “stop those who, with their insane and illegal war, are destroying the world’s ability to work together for a common goal,” adding: “There can be no effective climate policy without peace on Earth.” Andy Gregory8 November 2022 23:51
