German and Egyptian leaders on Monday urged industrialised nations not to let Russia’s war on Ukraine derail the fight against climate change as they met ahead of the COP27 summit in November. Speaking at the annual informal Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said leaders were working hard to stay “on track for a successful COP27” in Egypt. “Global circumstances are not making this an easy task,” she said, blaming Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for exacerbating “a global energy and food crisis that is pushing millions into poverty, hunger and starvation”.
The international community has agreed that climate change poses an existential threat to human systems and the natural world. But action to cut carbon pollution and prepare for the accelerating impacts is lagging, as is support for vulnerable countries confronting the ravages of a changing climate. Maintaining international momentum has been made even harder with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and spiralling food, energy and economic crises.
At a meeting in Bonn in June to lay the groundwork for the Egyptian conference, Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Nasr said climate change was being “pushed back” due to these new challenges. The main sticking points are around issues of finance, such as money for adaptation and the idea of a specific funding stream for controversial “loss and damage”. Baerbock on Monday said it was “important to us to give adaptation and loss and damage… the attention they deserve”. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry added it was key that “the current state of affairs is not taken as a pretext to backtrack or renege on previous commitments, especially those related to supporting developing countries”. Speaking at the same forum, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia’s war “has only strengthened our resolve” to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.