It's that time of year when we start seeing more and more headlines about COP27. Here's a cheat sheet of what to know, expect and do.
What exactly is COP27?
COP27 is a critical part of world efforts to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis.
Every year since 1995, world leaders have gathered for the United Nations Climate Conference. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and as this is the 27th meeting of the parties (the nations that agreed to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the number 27 gets added to the end of COP.
When and where is COP27?
This year, COP27 takes place from November 6 to 18 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Each year a different government hosts the meeting. COP1 took place in Berlin, Germany, in 1995. Last year, COP26, hosted by the United Kingdom and Italy, took place in Glasgow, Scotland.
What happened at COP26?
Held from October 31 to November 12, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland, COP26 brought together more than 100 world leaders (and more than 500 delegates from the fossil fuel industry) in an effort to address the climate crisis. Many plans came out of COP26, including commitments to end 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies, reduce global methane levels by at least 30 percent by 2030, end deforestation by 2030, protect coastal ecosystems and 'phase down' coal. The hope was that the agreements were enough to keep 1.5°C alive.
What is 1.5°C?
In 2015, countries that signed the Paris Agreement committed to limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 1.5°C has been touted as the do not cross line, the one which, if the world goes above, we'll see far more severe climate change effects. Following COP26, the International Energy Agency said the new plans - if implemented - could hold warming to below 1.8°C. However, earlier this month, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change issued a new report warning that we're on track to heat up between 2.1 and 2.9°C. It would be easy to see that as bad news, but just a few years ago, estimates suggested the planet would warm by up to 5°C by 2100. We’re making progress.
Those degrees feel like a distraction to me, though. Now's the time for us to start thinking about what the world will look like—a picture that is becoming clearer. And it's time to think about how we prepare our kids for that future. Upon releasing the 2022 Lancet Countdown Report, editor-in-chief Richard Horton said, "We need a complete reconstruction of civilization in a generation."
What does that mean? How do we parent with that in mind?
What to expect at COP27
While COP27 will build on many of the agreements and unresolved talks of previous conferences, it's expected and hoped that instead of plans about reducing emissions and helping countries mitigate and adapt to climate change, the focus at COP27 will shift towards the details of making those plans work. In other words in how we reconstruct civilization. If that happens, there will need to be discussions about loss and damage finance.
While there's no actual definition of loss and damage, it typically refers to the economic damage or loss to livelihoods or property and the non-economic loss and damage of life, biodiversity and cultural heritage to the impacts of climate change that cannot be mitigated or avoided.
In September, Denmark became the first country to offer monetary support to developing nations that have experienced losses caused by climate change.
What can I do?
Follow what happens at COP27 and talk about it with your family and friends.
Contact your elected officials and ask them to oppose fossil fuels and work towards a transition to renewable energy.
Support an environmental group to work on your behalf.
Pick one change you can make in your daily life to help the environment.
If you're in the U.S., make sure you vote in the midterms.
Finally, COP27 and the headlines that come out of it can be a lot. Make a plan for how much media you will consume and where you'll get your information.
~ Bridget
P.S. Here are a few things that I've been working on:
Celebrating the good news: The Greek electrical system ran entirely on renewable energy for 5 hours earlier this month; within a decade, electric school buses will be the norm in America, and Mars, the maker of Snickers and M&Ms, distributed bags to help people recycle candy wrappers a step towards making companies responsible for the entire lifespan of their products.
Not bagging the leaves in my yard.
And finally, here are a few things I've published in the past month or so: Old clothes are nearly impossible to recycle. What if you could throw them in a compost pile?, for Fast Company, Nexus Media and Discover Magazine.
Is There a Market for Edible Cactus in the United States?, for Smithsonian Magazine and Modern Farmer, and Changing Tastes Fuel a Buckwheat Revival for Modern Farmer.