What a fabulous success the COP27 in Egypt was, like a whole load of Christmases rolled into one. Unfortunately, the beneficiary was the fossil fuel industry, which yet again made sure there was no clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
Environmental campaigners tried to be optimistic before the event but the signs of impending failure were there right from the start. Egypt is looking to sell more of its own natural gas, taking advantage of the unexpected energy market chaos caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

No surprise that the authoritarian Egyptian government made sure that civil protest was successfully sidelined or suppressed, while no fewer than 636 lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry were allowed to swarm all over the summit and successfully fight off all efforts to agree a fossil fuel phase-out.
Environmental campaigners were left with a few crumbs of comfort, such as the inclusion of ‘nature-based solutions’ which had been removed at the last moment at the UK-led COP26 in Glasgow a year ago.
Oh yes, and the promise of a funding mechanism for ‘loss and damage’ whereby vulnerable countries will be helped to cope with the worst climate impacts. Aid for those countries hardest hit by the changing climate has been promised before, by the wealthier nations responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions to date. Only a fraction of the money has ever actually materialised.
COP is supposed to be a forum for governments to negotiate between themselves about how to address the issue of global warming, but the biggest seat at the table is effectively occupied by those which have a vested financial interest in preventing the changes needed for us to have a worthwhile future.

This year we even saw BP’s chief executive attend the COP as an official delegate of Mauritania. Kevin Anderson, chairman of energy and climate change at Manchester University, pretty much nails it when he calls the COP circus ‘an increasingly corrupt and immoral process’.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that we cannot rely on enough governments and corporations taking the actions needed to secure us a decent future. I take heart from the groundswell of public street protests now erupting around the world, for a variety of causes, as people increasingly realise that polite requests for wrongs to be righted are all too easily ignored.

I was also much heartened by watching a recent episode of comedian Frankie Boyle’s TV show, in which discussion centred on non-violent civil disobedience protesters like Just Stop Oil. The sincerity of their actions was applauded. They are after all simply trying to get our government to get serious about the environment and not COP out.