22:00 During a session held under the title “Coral Reefs under Stress,” Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said that Egypt is keen to ensure the protection of 100 percent of the Red Sea’s coral reefs. She spoke in the presence of Alessandro Fracassetti, UN Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative in Egypt.
21:30 Protecting nature and preserving biodiversity requires scientific solutions and sufficient finance, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Mahmoud Mohieldin.
During a session on "Climate Repair", at COP27, Mohieldin said that scientific institutions and research centers are playing a good role in finding scientific solutions to nature and climate crises, but financing climate action faces major challenges and needs innovative solutions.
Mohieldin added that financing activities to reduce carbon emissions are proceeding at a good pace with the support of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ).
20:00 Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threw his weight on Wednesday behind calls for the creation of a fund to compensate developing countries for the costly damage from climate-linked natural disasters.
"We very urgently need financial mechanisms to remedy losses and damages caused by climate change," Lula told the UN's COP27 climate conference, where the topic has divided rich and developing nations.
Lula also vowed to fight deforestation in his country, saying "there is no climate security for the world without a protected Amazon."
18:30 The European Union pledged over $1 billion in climate funding to help countries in Africa boost their resilience in the face of the accelerating impact of global warming.
The initiative, launched along with France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, will combine "existing and new" programmes for climate adaptation, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said.
17:30 The Egyptian COP27 Presidency and the International Union for Conservation of Nature launched the initiative Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for an Accelerated Climate Transformation (ENACT) to protect biodiversity.
ENACT aims to accelerate the implementation of nature-based solutions and encourage further dialogue about the value of nature-based solutions in protecting biodiversity and ecosystems through consecutive COPs, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement.
“ENACT aims to protect at least 1 billion people and 2.4 billion hectares of healthy ecosystems, while restoring 350 million hectares of damaged ecosystems,” the ministry added.
15:30 The European Union climate chief said there is still ``a long way to go'' in the ongoing negotiations at the United Nations conference on climate change taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt this year.
Frans Timmermans said he remains ``hopeful'' that they can achieve ``good conclusions'' at the conference, which ends Friday.
Asked about the issue of compensation for vulnerable nations suffering the impacts of climate change, known as loss and damage, which is one of the main topics of this year's summit, Timmermans said: ``We're all willing to find some substantial steps forward, but we're not there yet.''
15:15 Climate protestors Wednesday pushed for the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) limit on global warming to remain part of climate talks.
``Our demands to the negotiators for the next 48 hours as people from the Pacific and as frontliners in climate change is simple. We cannot have 1.5 degrees Celsius watered down,`` Fijian climate activist Vivania Tatawaqa told The Associated Press. Scientists agree that limiting warming to just 1.5 degrees will save the planet from the worst effects of climate change.
Several groups protested Wednesday within the venue's `Blue Zone' where access is limited to conference participants. Earlier in the day dozens of health professionals demonstrated to highlight the impact weather events exacerbated by climate change have on health.
``We are here to advocate for the climate crisis and make sure everyone understands that it's also a health crisis,'' medical professional Poorvaprabha Patil said. ``Every time you have a flood and check out the communities, you will see a rise of infectious diseases.''
15:00 “As COP27 enters the final crucial days, it is a shame that rich countries – especially the US – continue to reject calls from the G77 Group, representing 134 developing countries, for a loss and damage fund to be established here at COP27,” said Oxfam’s Climate Change Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi.
Dabi said that Oxfam supports the G77’s position and maintains that the inclusion of the fund in COP27 is a political game for developed countries. She said that it is highly probable that the conference will end with no agreement reached about future procedures. She also affirmed that the codes and values governing global climate efforts – such as discussions about responsibility, equity, justice, and fairness – have “left” the conference
“Rich countries must meet their $100 billion annual goal for climate finance in addition to establishing a new loss and damage fund that is fit for purpose, accessible and gender responsive,” she affirmed, saying that this is overdue by three decades.
14:30 Emirati Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Al Jaber said the UAE is keen on enhancing coordination frameworks with the Egyptian presidency of COP27 in preparation for hosting COP28 in Dubai next year.
The minister made the remarks in a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry.
Shoukry, for his part, affirmed Egypt’s readiness to continuously coordinate with the UAE to ensure the success of COP28.
14:00 Activists at COP27 are urging leaders and big tech companies to take action to combat misinformation about climate change, which they say undermines efforts to limit the devastating effects of global warming.
The activists issued an open letter signed by 550 groups and individuals, including former UN executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres and diplomat Lawrence Tubiana, one of the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which is the main reference for global goals to limit climate change.
Climate activists demonstrate at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre, in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name, during the COP27 climate conference, on November 16, 2022. (AFP)
The signatories called for the heads of seven digital giants, including Facebook, Google and Twitter, to implement strict policies to prevent the spread of false climate information on their platforms, similar to the measures taken regarding the COVID-19 epidemic.
“We cannot defeat climate change without addressing false information and disinformation,” the letter read.
13:45 Egypt and the European Union signed a joint declaration under which the EU will contribute up to 35 million euros to support Egypt’s Nexus of Water, Food and Energy programme to accelerate the national climate agenda.
Egypt and the EU also signed an MoU on strategic partnership between the two sides in green hydrogen production, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a statement.
Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla, EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, and head of the European Union delegation to Egypt Christian Berger attended the signing.
13:15 Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry participated in the high-level opening of Connecting Climate and Biodiversity as part the COP27 Biodiversity Day.
Kerry underlined the effectiveness and flexibility of nature-based solutions in tackling environmental disasters and the loss of biodiversity, affirming that the US has committed $25 billion to developing infrastructure that supports nature-based solutions.
13:00 A pledge by G20 leaders, whose countries account for most global CO2 emissions, to pursue the most ambitious target against global warming breathed new life into fraught UN climate talks in Egypt on Wednesday.
Analysts and campaigners welcomed the final communique from the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, which comes as negotiators in Egypt are struggling to agree on key issues before COP27 is supposed to end on Friday.
12:40 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock departed for Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday to attend COP27 with a commitment to ensure that the conference sends a clear signal to end fossil fuel use and expedite the reduction of emissions, the Federal Foreign Office said in a statement.
“At COP27, we will form alliances with other countries to support them in their transition to sustainable energy,” the statement quoted Baerbock as saying before her departure.
Baerbock said the participation of 197 countries in the climate talks in Sharm El-Sheikh despite the difficult geopolitical backdrop gives grounds for hope.
12:20 Brazil's Lula says he wants 2025 UN climate talks to be held in the Amazon.
"We are going to talk to the UN secretary-general so that the next COP will be held in Brazil, in the Amazon. I think it's important that people who defend the Amazon know the region and the concrete reality," he said.
Lula added that he will create a ministry dedicated to indigenous people.
Vamos falar com o secretário geral da ONU para que a próxima COP seja feita no Brasil, na Amazônia. Acho importante que as pessoas que defendem a Amazônia conheçam a região e a realidade concreta. #COP27
11:00 During COP27 Egypt signed MoUs with international and Egyptian companies and consortiums to conduct studies for implementing wind energy projects with capacities of up to 28,000 MW and expected investments of up to $34 billion, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker said.
During the conference’s Energy Day on Tuesday, Egypt signed nine framework agreements to implement projects for producing green hydrogen and its derivatives with capacities of up to 47,000 MW and investments of up to $85 billion, Shaker added.
10:15 Iranian Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment Ali Salajegheh affirmed that his delegation at COP27 will exert the utmost efforts to ensure the success of the conference and help reach consensus on issues of global climate action.
In a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday, Salajegheh expressed hope for the Sharm El-Sheikh conference to represent a pivotal step on the path to move from climate pledges to the stage of actual implementation.
Shoukry shed light on the ongoing Egyptian-Iranian coordination and consultations on various issues of climate action.
A climate clock displays how much time is left before the world uses up the carbon emissions that can still be produced while staying at or below the 1.5 degrees warming goal at a demonstration during the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Photo:AP
10:00 Climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. is ``fully engaged'' in talks with China at the U.N. climate summit underway in Egypt.
Kerry met with China's top climate official Xie Zhenhua Tuesday, a hint of improving relations seen as vital for substantial progress against global warming. Beijing put talks on hold three months ago in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.
Asked what the outcome of the summit may be, Kerry replied: ``We'll have to see, it's a late start.''
Speaking at an event to mark the conference's themed day on biodiversity, Kerry confirmed he had also met with Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Tuesday.
Kerry said he "was really encouraged by the ways in which he talked about once and for all getting it right, pulling people together in order to preserve the Amazon.''
09:45 Egypt signed a framework agreement with Emirati renewable energy company Masdar to establish a project for green hydrogen production in Egypt’s Ain Sokhna with a capacity of up to 480,000 tons annually.
The Suez Canal Economic Zone, the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, the Egyptian Electric Transmission Company, and the New and Renewable Energy Authority signed the deal with Masdar and Egypt’s Hassan Allam Utilities.
9:30 In a meeting with Egyptian FM and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urban Development, and Climate Murat Kurum affirmed Turkey’s keenness on the success of COP27 to yield results that contribute to enhancing global climate action
9:15 After years of Amazon deforestation under Brazil's outgoing leader Jair Bolsonaro, president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to address a UN climate conference eager to hear how he will protect the rainforest.
9:00 Government ministers are returning to Egypt to take over negotiations at this year's U.N. climate talks, providing diplomats with the political backing they need to clinch credible agreements that would help prevent disastrous levels of warming in the coming decades.
Talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh got off to a plodding start and are behind the pace of previous meetings with three days left before the scheduled close Friday. But a small thaw in relations between the United States and China at the Group of 20 meeting in Bali has boosted hopes that the world's top two polluters can help get a deal over the line in Egypt.
Day 10, 16 November - Bio-diversity Day
10:00-13:00 Mandated events and workshops Second part of the high-level segment
13:00-15:00 Lunch
15:00-18:00 Mandated events and workshops Second part of the high-level segment
Relive
COP27, Day 1: Loss and damage funding introduced as an agenda item (Click here).
COP27, Day 2: Sisi urges world leaders to move to concrete action on climate (Click here).
COP27, DAY 3: President launches the 'Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda' (Click here).
COP27, Day 4: Climate finance in a polycrisis era (Click here).
COP27, Day 5: Science and Future Generations Day (Click here).
COP27, Day 6: Decarbonisation challenge (Click here).
COP27, Day 7: Adaptation and Agriculture (Click here).
COP27, Day 8: Gender & Water Day (Click here).
COP27, Day 9: Civil society & Energy (Click here).
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