COP27 President Sameh Shoukry and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell urged nations to take action against climate change and not to use other crises as a ‘justification’ for ‘backsliding’ in their commitment, as the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 took off in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday.
During a press conference, Shoukry said that “the circumstances that we face today” are “transitional, they are of today, while climate change and its impact is existential”. The COP27 president called for “not to, in any way, take advantage or refer to the current circumstances as a justification to take the easy role of backtracking supposedly on the premise that there are other priorities. This is the main priority for the globe, for the citizens of the world”.
Stiell on his part added that “there is no one single crisis as critical, as impactful as climate change”.
“Wars will end, inflation, cost of living, energy crisis… these will come to an end. But what the science is telling us and what we are seeing in all of our communities, all around the world, climate change is ever present and it will only get worse,” said Stiell.
COP27 has gathered representatives from around 200 countries, including US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz amongst others, to discuss the fight against climate change. The conferences will run until November 18.
