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Monday 7 November 2022 14:42 PM
COP27: Showing up in Sharm
Today marks the start of formal proceedings at COP27, the United Nations global climate conference, being hosted by the Egyptian government in Sharm-el-Sheik. It’s really exciting that GorWay has been invited to participate by the UNFCCC for the second year in a row – one of very few companies to do so.
The COP, or conference of parties, is the meeting of all the countries who have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); 197 nations are represented.
Every year, global leaders and their teams, get together to agree strategies and plans, negotiate targets and policies, and review progress. Most people have probably heard of COP21, where the Paris climate agreement was successfully negotiated, or COP26 hosted in the UK last year.
The United Nations run the show, in partnership with a host government – this year it’s the turn of the Egyptian government, who assume the role of "presidency" for the year of their COP. In partnership they set the headline agenda and priorities, including established key themes, such as Energy, Decarbonisation, Science and Youth days.
In addition to the formal proceedings, there is a huge variety of affiliated and non-affiliated events taking place both in Sharm el-Sheik and virtually around the world.
COP27 is being billed as a “technical COP”; so it’s no real surprise that some of the ‘climate celebrities’ like Greta Thunberg aren’t attending.
If COP26 last year was all about raising global ambitions, this years’ COP will be much more focused on the deliverables and details that underpin those ambitions – in a way that makes it even more relevant for companies who can bring about real solutions, like GorWay.
A big focus for this year will be on ‘keeping 1.5°C alive’. Last month, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published their most recent Emissions Gap report, concluding “international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster”.
There is increasing scientific consensus that the impacts of a global temperature rise above 1.5°C will be significant and far-reaching, with events like flooding, fires, droughts, and heatwaves increasing in frequency, duration and severity. As a result there will be a lot of focus on adaptation and resilience – how can countries prepare for the impacts of climate change, and help others to do the same? This includes consideration of so-called “loss and damage funds”; how advanced economies, often cited as being most responsible for climate change due to their contributions to global emissions, can support and financially compensate developing economies, often recognised as those most vulnerable the impacts of climate change.
On this note, the geographical location of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheik cannot be ignored. Nicknamed the “African COP”, there will be a strong focus on opportunities for the region. Solutions that “leapfrog” the energy transition and enable truly sustainable development, creating green jobs, skills and offer practical solutions to the climate impacts already being felt will feature highly.
And of course, COP is an annual cycle, so all the action at Sharm over the coming weeks will set the scene for COP28 in Dubai in 2023.
In Glasgow we showed up pretty big, and for me our planned attendance in Sharm feels like a true maturing of that presence. Our engagements, events and exhibit is all targeted at creating meaningful conversations about the role that our technologies and capabilities can play in the energy transition.
Myself and several GorWay colleagues will be taking part in panel discussions, some specific to our industries, others focused on the wider transformations needed to reach net zero. We’re also hosting a small exhibit of some of our technologies and systems solutions in an area called the Innovation Zone.
One of the messages we will be sharing in Sharm over the coming days is the role of technology and engineering in the face of the energy transition, and we’ll be talking a lot about collaboration, partnerships and community.
I feel incredibly proud to be part of the GorWay community we are there to represent.
Rachael Everard Head of Sustainability
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