Current:Home > MarketsClimate talks are wrapping up. The thorniest questions are still unresolved. -Infinite Edge Learning
Climate talks are wrapping up. The thorniest questions are still unresolved.
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:40:13
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Global climate talks in Egypt are entering their final stretch, and so far, delegates have made little progress on the biggest climate questions facing humanity.
Global greenhouse gas emissions are still rising. The Earth is on track to blow past temperature targets that could rein in the most extreme weather events. And the countries most vulnerable to climate-driven disasters are still largely on their own to pay for catastrophic damage.
Now, negotiators are entering the most intense period of the two-week meeting, known as COP27. Talks are supposed to wrap up on Friday. But those who have attended past annual meetings say it's likely that delegates will miss that deadline, given their many areas of disagreement.
"The Parties remain divided on a number of significant issues," said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a speech Thursday. "There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies."
The main sticking point in negotiations centers on the issue of loss and damage – the question of what developed countries, which contributed the most to climate change, owe to smaller, developing countries, which are suffering its effects now. Vulnerable countries have been asking for a fund to be set up that would provide them with money in the wake of a climate-fueled disaster like the flooding in Pakistan earlier this year.
Multiple countries and climate advocates have described the establishment of a fund as being the "litmus test" for a successful climate conference.
"This would be a failed COP if there's no fund," said Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands. "Continuously delaying the process because people can't agree or see the value in it, that's really difficult for us."
The world's largest historic polluter, the United States, has been stalling conversations about loss and damage, climate advocates and negotiators tell NPR. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry seemed to address growing frustrations during a press event about methane reductions on Thursday.
Seventeen of the 20 countries in the world most affected by climate change are in Africa, Kerry said. Collectively, they've contributed roughly 0.55% of all emissions warming the world.
"It's no wonder that there's an increasing anger, an increasing frustration, which we intend to address here while we're in Sharm El-Sheikh," he said.
Vulnerable countries have very little power to affect what rich countries do, shy of walking out on negotiations, which negotiators say is unlikely.
Despite the disagreement on loss and damage, there have been some areas of agreement heading into the final negotiations. One hundred and fifty countries have now signed on to reduce emissions of methane by one third by the end of the decade. Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas that is currently released in huge quantities by oil and gas operations, landfills and agriculture.
Kerry said clamping down on methane emissions is key if humans hope to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius – the goal of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and a level at which some of the worst climate disasters might be avoided. Right now, the Earth is on track to hit nearly 3 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century.
"This is absolutely critical to our ability to keep 1.5 degrees [Celsius] within reach," he said. "As you hear some of the grim predictions about where we are with respect to 1.5 [degrees], methane looms even more and more important."
China has not agreed to reduce its methane emissions, despite being home to some of the largest sources of methane pollution. But on Thursday, Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua made a surprise appearance at Kerry's press conference about methane, and said the Chinese government is working on a plan to address that.
The United Nations also announced a new plan to beef up global weather forecasts to warn people about impending disasters, especially in lower-income countries where early warning systems are often lacking. And there has been some progress toward funding the transition to clean electricity in rapidly developing countries like Indonesia, which is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Still, overall progress to address global warming and pay for its effects is looking grim. Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half this decade to avoid runaway sea level rise, deadly heat waves, mass extinction of animals and plants and a variety of weather disasters. Right now, countries have collectively promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by only about 3% by 2030.
veryGood! (32414)
Related
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- 50 essential hip-hop songs to celebrate 50 years: Grandmaster Flash, Jay-Z, Outkast, more
- The Pentagon plans to shake up DC’s National Guard, criticized for its response to protests, Jan. 6
- 3-year-old dies aboard migrant bus headed from Texas to Chicago
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Timeline: The Trump investigation in Fulton County, Georgia
- What is the best dog food or puppy food? These are the top four recommended by experts.
- The new Biden plan that could still erase your student loans
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- 1 more person charged in Alabama riverboat brawl; co-captain says he 'held on for dear life'
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Save up to $250 on the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 at Best Buy
- Robert De Niro’s Daughter Shares Heartbreaking Message on Late Son Leandro’s 20th Birthday
- The Pentagon plans to shake up DC’s National Guard, criticized for its response to protests, Jan. 6
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Leaders' arrogance and envy doomed the Pac-12
- 'Wait Wait' for August 12, 2023: 25th Anniversary Spectacular, Part V
- Dwyane Wade shares secret of his post-NBA success on eve of Hall of Fame induction
Recommendation
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Full-time UPS drivers will earn $170,000 a year, on average, in new contract, CEO says
7 killed in Ukraine’s Kherson region, including a 23-day-old baby girl
Dueling GOP presidential nominating contests in Nevada raise concerns about voter confusion
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Q&A: Kelsea Ballerini on her divorce EP and people throwing things at concerts
Shop the best back-to-school deals on Apple iPads, AirPods and more ahead of Labor Day
Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown breaks silence on suspension controversy