COP27 Dispatch - November 16, 2022

View this newsletter online Subscribe Review EESI Welcome! Today is biodiversity day at COP27. This is the first COP to dedicate a day to biodiversity. While climate change and biodiversity loss are inherently intertwined, the issues have all too often been kept separate when it comes to developing policies and solutions at the international level. Biodiversity day provided an opportunity to break down these silos to elevate “where biodiversity has been managed in the face of climate change, and where the management of biodiversity through conservation, land restoration, combating desertification, and sustainable use has led to benefits for climate mitigation and adaptation,” as described on the COP27 Presidency website.   Missed yesterday’s issue? Check it out here! Also, explore EESI's glossary of terms and other helpful guides in the Resources section.

The U.S. announced the first cohort of countries in the Ocean Conservation Pledge, which launched at the Our Ocean Conference in Palau in July. (U.S. Updates)   President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil addressed the conference, saying “Brazil is back to resume its ties with the world.” (Around the World)   The U.N. launched a challenge to use nature-based solutions to reduce temperatures in cities in lower- and middle-income countries. (Other News) Sections     U.S. Updates  |  Negotiations  |  Around the World  |  Other News  |  Resources Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (center) poses for photos with Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources Monica Medina (left) and representatives from countries in the Ocean Conservation Pledge. Credit: U.S. Center Ocean Conservation Pledge: In July 2022, at the Our Ocean Conference in Palau, the U.S. launched the Ocean Conservation Pledge, an invitation to other nations to “join the U.S. in a commitment to conserve, protect, and restore at least 30% of ocean waters under their jurisdictions by 2030.” At COP27 during a U.S. Center panel, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry announced the first cohort of countries to join this pledge: Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, France, Greece, Japan, Malta, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.   Forest finance: At COP26, funders pledged to mobilize $1.7 billion by 2025 “to support the advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ forest tenure rights and greater recognition and rewards for their role as guardians of forests and nature.” Since COP26, the Forest Tenure Funders Group (FTFG) has raised nearly one-fifth of this amount, according to an annual progress report that was discussed at a U.S. Center panel. USAID is collaborating with FTFG to implement projects using this funding.   Equitable clean energy deployment: Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm discussed the role of three recently passed laws—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—in accelerating clean energy deployment. Granholm added that the Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities, is crucial for deploying these funds equitably. The three laws are set to deliver half a trillion dollars to these communities. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf explained that funding from these laws has helped the California city electrify port equipment and contribute to environmental justice by reducing pollution in near-port communities. ► EESI Article: “How the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Work Together to Advance Climate Action”   UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell (center) speaks to ministers at a ministerial dialogue. Credit: UNFCCC COP27 Presidency updates: On cover decision progress, the COP27 Presidency had a four-hour discussion yesterday with parties about the draft document. The Presidency team then reviewed the issues and will provide an updated text to parties for more feedback. Special Representative to the COP27 President Wael Aboulmagd also talked about the differing pace of negotiations, saying for example that the transparency team finished faster than normal, but the gender team was stuck on issues that have not come up in previous COPs. Aboulmagd emphasized that the Presidency is working towards outcomes that show ambition and urgent action on all topics. ► EESI Briefing: What’s on the Table for the Negotiations? Climate technology funding: The UNFCCC’s two major technology programs and the focus of technology negotiations at COP, the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), launched a five-year collaboration focused on providing climate technologies to developing countries. The U.S. announced $3 million to support this new Joint Work Programme. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry explained, “We are committed to ensuring that the Parties cooperate effectively to accelerate action at the scale and pace needed through research, development, demonstration, and deployment of climate technologies.” Canada will provide a C$6 million ($4.5 million) grant to the CTCN, and Germany will provide €1.5 million ($1.56 million) to the CTCN and €500,000 ($520,000) to the TEC this year. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil arrives in Sharm El-Sheikh. Credit: UNFCCC Brazil is back: In President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s speech, he emphasized that “Brazil is back to resume its ties with the world.” When his government begins in January 2023, Lula said that addressing climate change will be integrated into the highest levels of his government and he will establish a ministry of Indigenous peoples. He also shared that Germany and Norway have agreed to unfreeze the Amazon Fund—which is currently at about $500 million—to provide Brazil with funding for environmental protection measures in the Amazon (it was suspended during Bolsonaro's presidency). Lula is also planning to strengthen forest partnerships between Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia. Lula proposed a new world alliance for food security to address issues at the nexus of climate change, food production, and poverty. Brazil will be the chair of the G20 in 2024 and intends to make climate change a top priority.   High-level statements: 27 leaders from international organizations and 14 representatives from nongovernmental constituency groups provided statements to conclude the high-level segment of COP27. International organizations that provided remarks include fossil fuel proponents like the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as environmental groups like the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. Some highlights from the statements are below: Adaptation Fund | Board Chair Albara Tawfiq stated that the Adaptation Fund has approved a medium-term strategy for 2023 to 2027, which will focus on locally-led and locally-based adaptation. Tawfiq also announced $105 million of new pledges to the Fund, bringing the total 2022 pledges to $172 million. Children and Youth Constituency | Cathy Liu urged that countries place more emphasis on youth in their work, including scaling up funding for youth-led projects and engaging youth in adaptation projects. International Union for Conservation of Nature | Director General Bruno Oberle encouraged negotiating parties to consider nature-based solutions as a way to jointly address the biodiversity and climate crises, especially as the U.N. Conference on Biological Diversity, COP15, is set to begin in Montreal, Canada, next month.   Nature-based solutions initiative: The COP27 Presidency, the Government of Germany, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched the Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for an Accelerated Climate Transformation (ENACT) initiative as part of the events for biodiversity day. ENACT aims to “coordinate global efforts to address climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss through nature-based solutions.” It is a voluntary coalition of state and non-state actors that will, under IUCN’s leadership, compile an annual State of Nature-based Solutions report, to be delivered to the COP Presidencies ahead of future UNFCCC conferences. ► EESI Briefing: Natural Climate Solutions Climate and Clean Air Ministerial: Leaders from 40 countries that support the Climate and Clean Air Coalition gathered yesterday to reaffirm their commitment to slashing emissions from short-lived but powerful climate pollutants and report progress on achieving that goal. A new report presented at the meeting shows that methane emissions are rising at record rates and that urgent action is needed to reduce emissions. One mechanism for doing so is the Global Methane Pledge, which has a goal of reducing methane emissions 30% by 2030. According to the report, reaching this goal would prevent 5.6 million deaths, avoid the loss of 580 million tons of food, and save $520 billion in health, forestry, and agriculture costs—all by 2050. ► EESI Article: “Addressing Methane Emissions Is Critical for Fighting Climate Crisis” E.U.-Egypt collaboration: The E.U. and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding to serve as a framework for “the development of a renewable hydrogen industry and trade across the E.U. and Egypt.” The European Commission also agreed to provide a €35 million ($36.4 million) grant to support Egypt’s Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy initiative, which aims to implement Egypt’s climate strategy by shutting down inefficient fossil fuel power generation and increasing renewable energy deployment. ► EESI Briefing: Green Hydrogen   A mural painted within the conference area. Credit: UNFCCC Nature for Cool Cities Challenge: The U.N. announced the launch of the Nature for Cool Cities Challenge to use nature-based solutions to reduce temperatures in cities in lower- and middle-income countries. Municipalities, groups of municipalities, and regional governments can take part in the challenge and must demonstrate progress by 2025. Award winners will receive technical assistance and matching finance to implement their pledges by 2030. Homa Bay County, Kenya, is the first region to participate in the challenge. ► EESI Briefing: Living with Climate Change: Extreme Heat Adaptation funding: Eight countries—Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Walloon Region of Belgium—announced $105.6 million in new funding for the Global Environment Facility’s Special Climate Change Fund and Least Developed Countries Fund. This funding is focused on adaptation for countries most vulnerable to climate change. Endorsing this development, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell explained in the press release, “adaptation funding for the poorest and most vulnerable nations is not an expense, it is an investment in the safety and well-being of millions of people.” U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources Monica Medina signaled U.S. support for the adaptation focus of these funds, but did not announce any specific funding support.   Sustainable aviation fuel: The World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative and the Sustainable Markets Initiative published a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pocket guide to help businesses navigate the process of purchasing SAF for corporate travel. The guide explains that SAF can reduce lifecycle emissions by 70% compared to jet fuel. ► EESI Article Series: Sustainable Aviation Fuels   EESI resources Articles: Quick reads connecting international climate talks to Congress Briefing series: What Congress Needs to Know About COP27 Key Findings from the Newest Global Assessment Report on Climate Change Climate Change Loss and Damage Natural Climate Solutions What's on the Table for the Negotiations? Climate Summit Recap: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next Climate Change Solutions: Biweekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues COP27 Announcement Tracker: Key Announcements from the 2022 U.N. Climate Summit COP27 Report Tracker: Key Climate Reports Launched at the 2022 U.N. Climate Summit EESI United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Glossary of Terms Go-to Resources on the Key Themes of COP27 for Week 1 and Week 2 U.S. Leaders at COP27: Members of Congress and Other U.S. Officials at the 2022 U.N. Climate Summit Tracking the negotiations CarbonBrief: Reporting and analysis on the U.N. Climate Talks, with in-depth tracking of country positions in the negotiations. COP27 Resource Hub: World Resources Institute's extensive set of resources on the climate negotiations. Earth Negotiation Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development | @IISD_ENB ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International | @CANIntl Background and logistics Egypt COP27 Presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations | @Cop27P UNFCCC COP27 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations | @UNFCCC and @UNFCCCDocuments Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC UNFCCC glossary of terms Questions about COP27? Reach out to EESI Policy Manager Anna McGinn with your question and we will get back to you or include the information in an upcoming newsletter. Thanks for reading!   This newsletter covering COP27 will be running from November 7 to November 21. If you thought this newsletter was interesting, forward it to someone you know! If you were forwarded this edition, sign up here. Thank you to EESI staff for their contributions: Anna McGinn, Savannah Bertrand, Emma Johnson, and Amaury Laporte Environmental and Energy Study Institute  Daniel Bresette, Executive Director EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus to provide timely information and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path.