Autumn is the season when the leaves fall and, usually, the Conference of the Parties (COP). This year, the 27th of the name has been held in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, since Sunday, November 6. During this great international meeting, the States try, with more or less good will, to move forward on the « ambitions » global climate change, financing the exit from fossil fuels, adaptation, etc. They come back every year, and with them the inevitable question, whispered a few days ago by a colleague at the coffee machine: “But… the COPs, are they still useful? ».
Answer « oui » to the question (by really believing it) is apparently stubborn optimism. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase even more each year despite the major international meetings that have been held for 30 years; the consequences of climate change are now very tangible – and deadly – on all continents; the poor countries are still waiting for the billions of dollars promised by the countries of the North and the empty declarations that punctuate these conferences give the impression of a great circus of broken promises, more than a serious fight against global warming.
But what is at stake here is much more subtle. The fight against climate change is not a zero-sum game, the outcome of which would be the « victoire » or the ” defeat “. Every gigatonne of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere contributes to raising the global temperature. Consequently, there is a real utility in avoiding all emissions that can be avoided.
COPs are ” one moment “, an annual deadline, to increase state-to-state pressure and bring negotiations to fruition. It is the only summit where most of the leaders of the countries of the world meet, face to face, to make progress on the climate issue, on issues such as phasing out coal or financing, and getting the most emitting countries to strengthen their goals.
Thus, most major issuers have now committed to the “carbon neutral”, that is to say to cease almost all their emissions by the middle of the century, the only condition for stabilizing the global temperature. It is also the only event where those most threatened by the consequences of global warming – small islands, poor countries, indigenous peoples, young people – can make their voices heard on the international scene.
Above all, it is not just a question of States. The COP is also a great moment where civil society can hold leaders to account and get their governments to make concrete commitments. We don’t “will save” not the planet in Sharm-El-Sheikh and we must not be naive about the promises that will be made there. But global negotiations are no less useful. We wouldn’t be in better shape if we didn’t talk.