Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, who is also the president of COP27 conference on climate change has expressed worries about the slow progress of negotiations at the ongoing climate change summit in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Although there have been many positive outcomes since the conference started on November 6, the minister is worried some of the negotiations did not reflect the need to move collectively to address the gravity and urgency of the climate crisis and said “parties are shying away from taking the difficult political decisions” on loss and damage.
He, therefore, urged negotiators at the conference to “take the necessary steps to reach the much-needed conclusions and agreements.”
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, was of a similar opinion and has warned that time was running out, both for the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh and for the planet.
Earlier on Thursday, Guterres told delegates at COP27: “The climate clock is ticking, and trust keeps eroding. There is clearly a breakdown in trust north and south, and between developed and emerging economies,” he said.
As negotiations enters their last day, he urged countries to keep trying for common ground. “This is no time for finger-pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction,” he said.
Story adapted from the Guardian.
