The most significant outcome of COP27, and what it will be remembered for, was the agreement of a loss and damage finance facility. It is a historic agreement for global climate justice which acknowledges the imbalanced responsibility for human-induced climate change, and commits to a fund (although, it is currently without any funding agreements) to support countries facing the worst climate disasters.
However, the conference failed to commit to a “phasing out” of fossil fuel, a necessary commitment to limit global warming to 1.5C, instead choosing to repeat the language of COP26 to “phase down” of unabated coal use. If the current global commitments and pledges are accomplished, the planet is projected to warm by 2.8C. We need renewed commitments and progress at every COP to stay within 1.5C.
Whilst the screen industry needs governments to provide green policy developments, especially in infrastructure, it is important to remember that COPs do not solely define the solutions to the climate emergency. As an industry, we do not need to wait to be told what to do, or how to do it, because we already know that the short-term priority is to urgently reduce our emissions. We must continue to pave the way for a sustainable future in order to halve emissions by 2030.
