U.N. Climate Summit Delivers Important Progress on Loss and Damage but Falls Short on Ambition

"The U.N. climate summit ended on a surprisingly—but not entirely—positive note, which was not a guaranteed outcome by any means," said Environmental and Energy Study Institute Executive Director Daniel Bresette, who attended COP27. "Most importantly, the wealthy nations of the world, including the United States, agreed to help vulnerable developing countries cover some of the unavoidable costs resulting from climate change—known as loss and damage.

“But there was not enough progress on climate change mitigation to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F),” said Bresette. “Process-wise, the negotiations accomplished what negotiators needed to accomplish. But the level of ambition to address climate change with the urgency it warrants still falls short. World leaders will face some difficult decisions at COP28, scheduled for next year in the United Arab Emirates.

"A delegation from the United States, including more than 20 members of Congress, attended the summit to demonstrate U.S. engagement. They showcased the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, two major pieces of legislation that will bring the U.S. two-thirds closer to achieving its goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

"While the new loss and damage fund represents a major step forward on that issue, the details are unresolved. When it comes to climate adaptation, countries recognized the significant gap in the global response to climate impacts. Millions of people are already suffering from the impacts of climate change, and the United States must urgently step up its adaptation efforts. The U.S. should create a national adaptation strategy, invest in nature-based solutions, and advance efforts on international climate finance, including by supporting the fund for loss and damage."

Join us for a Congressional briefing about COP27 key outcomes on Friday, December 2.

EESI COP27 RESOURCES

• What Congress Needs to Know About COP27 (Briefing series)
• 2022 U.N. Climate Conference Article Series
• 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
• U.S. Leaders at COP27: Members of Congress and Other U.S. Officials at the 2022 U.N. Climate Summit