The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, between 6-18 November.
The Environment Council of the European Commission secured a negotiating mandate for the conference, as well as for the COP15 Biodiversity Conference to be held in December. The EU pushes to increase actions to mitigate the interconnected climate and biodiversity crises and deliver on the Paris Agreement, aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The EU stated its readiness to further increase its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), in line with the outcome of the ongoing ‘Fit for 55′ negotiations. In addition, the Union adoptied a Mitigation Work Programme, as well as initiatives aimed at ending inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, phasing down coal and reducing methane emissions.
The European Parliament is also being represented at the event – 14 members of the Committees ENVI and ITRE are present in Sharm El Sheikh. MEP Bas Eickhout leads the parliament’s delegation, which is there to collaborate with parliamentarians of non-EU countries as well as representatives of international organisations.
The EU’s focus at the COP15 on biodiversity will be emphasizing the target of protecting 30% of land and 30% of oceans by 2030, focusing on areas that are valuable for biodiversity and ecosystem services. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s pledged to double external funding for biodiversity, in particular for the most vulnerable countries around the world – for which an adequate resource mobilization is needed.
The European Chemical Society is committed to sustainable chemistry, and supports the Union’s ambitions via providing scientific advice related to sustainability on a number of policy initiatives, alongside its own events and initiatives on sustainability, such as the “Chemists’ contributions to the global approach for tackling pollution” panel at the ECC8. In addition, EuChemS has professional networks designated to work on ensuring the sustainability of chemical sciences.