What to watch in 2022
The three-top climate diplomacy events that you cannot miss this year.
Credits to Alex Hallatt
2021 was the fifth hottest year on record. Will 2022 steal this primacy? We will see. Certainly, the new year will be very “hot” from a climate diplomacy standpoint. The calendar for 2022 is busy with meetings and important release dates. Here you can find the top-three:
1. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is due to deliver two landmark reports this year. The one scheduled for February will assess the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity, human societies and cultures, their capacity to cope, and options for adaptation. The other, expected in spring, will assess ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2. COP27 will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 7 - 18. Negotiators will come up with a proposal for a global goal on adaptation, under a two-year work program agreed at COP26. Not an easy task, but the warm breeze of the Red Sea beach resort will (hopefully) help. If you want to learn more, I will share my thoughts at the panel discussion “What to expect on the journey from COP26 towards COP27 & COP28”. It will take place online on January 20 at 3 pm CET, and you can get your virtual seat for free here.
3. UN biodiversity talks could finally take place in March ahead of a summit in Kunming, China on 25 April – 8 May. The agreement is to include a host of targets to protect the Earth’s plants and wildlife to 2030. Environmentalists are worried that a lack of finance for developing countries and weak plans for implementation could thwart the delivery of biodiversity goals.
Managing the covid-19 pandemic remains at the forefront of most politicians’ minds. But the energy crisis is already challenging the top spot in their agenda. Will it affect their commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions? Well, this is the million-dollar question.
If you think 2021 was a rollercoaster regarding climate change, then hold on tight for 2022. But, whatever will happen, I will be on the side to share, analyze and explain every twist and turn.
