"Climate change: Five key takeaways from COP27", 20 November 2022

...A new funding arrangement on loss and damage - a pooled fund for countries most affected by climate change - has been hailed as a "historic moment". It can be seen as the most important climate advance since the Paris Agreement at COP 2015...

For many countries, the last hours of the negotiation represent a real step backwards in the fight against rising temperatures. While the loss and damage text represented a big win, the overall cover decision is being seen as a missed opportunity in the fight against climate change. The man who ran the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow put it bluntly. "Emissions peaking before 2025, as the science tells us is necessary. Not in this text," said Alok Sharma. "Clear follow-through on the phase down of coal. Not in this text." As well as all these limitations there was also a sharp U-turn on the language around fossil fuels. The text now includes a reference to "low emission and renewable energy"...

There's a fifty-fifty chance over the next five years that we'll go over this important marker of temperature increases, compared to pre-industrial times. We're likely to pass it permanently by 2031. But at COP27, the EU and other developed countries were willing to die on the hill of strengthening the promise to keep 1.5C alive...

One key takeaway from COP27 was the presence and power of fossil fuel - be they delegates or countries. Attendees connected to the oil and gas industry were everywhere. Some 636 were part of country delegations and trade teams...

The affirmation that democracy is an effective weapon against climate change was also demonstrated in the actions of the host country... COP27 could have been a major advance against climate change. That it ultimately didn't hit that mark is at least partly down to the hosts.