Countries adopted a hard-fought final agreement at the COP27 climate summit early on Sunday that sets up a fund to help poor countries being battered by climate disasters – but does not boost efforts to tackle the emissions causing them.
Here’s what people are saying about the deal:
FRANS TIMMERMANS, EU CLIMATE POLICY CHIEF
“This is the make or break decade, but what we have in front of us is not enough of a step forward for people and planet.”
“I urge you to acknowledge when you walk out of this room, that we have all fallen short in actions to avoid and minimise loss and damage. We should have done much more, our citizens expect us to lead.”
“Too many parties are not ready to make more progress today in the fight against climate crisis.”
PAKISTAN CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER SHERRY REHMAN
“We have struggled for 30 year on this path and today in Sharm el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone … It is a downpayment and investment in climate justice.”
ANI DASGUPTA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE
“It is mindboggling that countries did not muster the courage to call for phasing down fossil fuels, which are the biggest driver of climate change.”
ALOK SHARMA, COP26 PRESIDENT
“I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5 degrees was weak. Unfortunately, it remains on life support. And all of us need to look ourselves in the mirror and consider we have fully risen to that challenge of the past two weeks.”
MALDIVES CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER AMINATH SHAUNA
“I recognise the progress we made in COP 27 particularly on…the funding arrangements for loss and damage. (Securing those arrangemente) is a historic moment for the people and for the planet.
“We have failed on mitigation….We absolutely need to keep 1.5 alive. We have to ensure that increase ambition to peak emissions by 2025. We have to phase out fossil fuel.
KRISTIN TILLEY, AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
“We’ve made historic progress at COP27 to establish new funding arrangements including a fund, and to explore a broad range of ways to provide support to developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
“However we must strive further in light of the stark findings of the latest science.”
U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES
“A fund for loss and damage is essential – but it’s not an answer if the climate crisis washes a small island state off the map- or turns an entire African country to desert. The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition”
U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATOR ACHIM STEINER
“It is illogical to fund the irreversible consequences of climate change without significant investment in the adaptation and mitigation measures that developing countries need to address the underlying causes.”
GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER ANNALENA BAERBOCK
“We have achieved a breakthrough on climate justice – with a broad coalition of states, after years of deadlock. And we were able to prevent a backslide behind the consensus of Glasgow and Paris (climate summits).
“It is more than frustrating to see overdue steps on mitigation and the phase-out of fossil energies being stonewalled by a number of large emitters and oil producers.”
