Deadlock & Disappointment: COP 27 Likely to Extend, No Conclusive Outcome Yet

Of the major agenda items of over 30 crucial issues, only 2 have been agreed upon so far.

People visit the Green Zone of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 10, 2022.

(Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa/IANS)

Deadlock, disappointment, disagreements.

The three words that seem to be summing up the 27th Conference Of Parties on climate change. Most who ended Thursday evening in Sharm-al-Sheikh did so with confusion and uncertainty. Is COP ending on its scheduled day?

In a desperate face-saving attempt the ongoing COP 27 in Egypt which was supposed to end on 18 November is likely to be extended. This is not a first time COP is being extended, 8 out of 10 most recent COPs overran by more than 24 hours and only 6 out of the last 26 COPs have wrapped up on the scheduled day.

"It is likely to extended till Sunday. The last draft came in at about 3am on Friday morning. And even this mentions several contentious points which are likely to further the deadlock," said Abinash Mohanty, a climate policy expert who is currently attending the conference in Egypt.

However, extending this COP seems like an attempt to save it from what many are calling the most unproductive COP so far. Until Thursday evening there was still no proper draft cover text. The 10 page first draft was released late in the night.

And this draft does not mention several important issues and includes several points of contention.

Of the major agenda items of over 30 crucial issues on which some conclusive outcome was expected, only 2 have been agreed upon.

And even if an agreement is not reached, this COP might collapse with no deal. When COP reconvenes next year it'll sill be COP 27 and not COP 28, as has happened once in the past.

The two agendas on which agreement has been reached are Santiago Network LD and Koronivia.

Santiago Network is a network which will "connect vulnerable developing countries with providers of technical assistance, knowledge, resources they need to address climate risks comprehensively in the context of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage," according to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) is a landmark decision under the UNFCCC that recognizes the potential of agriculture in tackling climate change. "The Koronivia decision addresses six interrelated topics on soils, nutrient use, water, livestock, methods for assessing adaptation, and the socio-economic and food security dimensions of climate change across the agricultural sectors."

It is likely that the summit will be extended till Sunday.