COP27 LIVE Updates | Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif cites devastating floods, calls for global aid

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has distracted world governments from efforts to combat climate change, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message played at the COP27 climate conference. 

"There can be no effective climate policy without the peace," he said. 

In the aftermath of devastating floods that Pakistan faced this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on COP27 delegates to take his country's case 'to build a common purpose for justice'. 

"An estimate of damage and loss has exceeded $30 billion and this all happened despite our very low carbon footprints and yet we became a victim of something with which we had nothing to do," Sharif said.

Sharif said that during the crisis, Pakistan had to import wheat, palm oil, and of course, 'very expensive oil and gas', spending around about $30-32 billion to finance its import.

"Now, winter is setting in, and we need to provide shelter, homes, medical treatment, and food packages to these millions of people in different provinces of Pakistan for which we are spending billions of rupees from our meagre resources. It is the duty and responsibility of Global North to understand our difficulties and our plight. We won't want that tomorrow, God forbid, some other country should become a victim of this climate-induced disaster, and I call it man-made disaster," Sharif said. 

Underlining a four-point formula to combat climate change, Sharif said that the global goal of adaptation needs to be prioritised both in terms of financing and timelines.

"Second, loss and damage needs to be part of the core agenda of COP27 to meet the pressing humanity needs of those that are trapped in a crisis of public financing fuelled by debt and yet have to fund climate disasters on their own. Third, climate finance must be clearly defined, as new, additional and sustained resources with a transparent mechanism that meets the needs of developing and vulnerable countries with the speed and scale that is required. Fourth, a global climate risk index of all parties of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) must be created under the auspices of the UN system," Sharif said. 

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned fossil fuel companies on Tuesday that they must not use "bogus" net-zero pledges while continuing to expand their planet-heating activities.

"This toxic cover-up could push our world over the climate cliff. The sham must end," he said in reaction to an expert report setting out decarbonisation pledge guidelines for firms, cities and regions at the UN's COP27 climate conference in Egypt.

Palestinian leader Mohammad I. M. Shtayyeh said that the world has to be more realistic in what it aspires to, as there has been an international goal to reduce remissions but there was no commitment to international plans and agreements to achieve this goal.

"We should not build imaginary hopes about what can be achieved. We need realism. We need political will and to call a spade a spade," the Palestinian leader said.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council in a sharp attack at Russia, said that the Kremlin has chosen to make energy a weapon of mass destablisation in today's world. "This weapon is pointed directly at the heart of Europe and at the global energy markets," he said. 

"The time for fine words, promises, and pledges is over. Now is the time for concrete action, resolution, determination, and in that you can count on the European Union," he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged COP27 delegates to speed up their action on climate change. She said that the team Europe is providing its fare share of $100 billion despite the global pandemic and war in Ukraine.

“The global fossil fuel crisis must be a game changer. So let us not take the ‘highway to hell’ but let’s earn the clean ticket to heaven,” she said, echoing remarks by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, November 7.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros said that the scale of crisis related to climate change is no more taking the world by surprise. "From the start of environmental diplomacy, we had enough data to declare an early emergency," Maduro said. 

Addressing the massive destruction of wildlife ecosystems in Amazon rain-forests, Maduro said that irreversible damage had already happened. "We need to turn to the indigenous peoples, they need to tell us how to live in harmony with nature," he said. 

"Time has run out. We can no longer indulge in speeches and rules. We need to adapt a radical change and bring about a new world," he said. 

US President Joe Biden will stick to his efforts to develop a greener economy even if Republicans win the midterm elections on Tuesday, his climate envoy John Kerry said at COP27.

Biden's Democrats are struggling to hang on to Congress against Republicans who are less favourable to international action on climate change.

A Republican victory could be a boon to former president Donald Trump, who had pulled the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Biden brought the United States back into the pact.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN's COP27 climate summit in Egypt, Kerry said the administration hopes for a favourable outcome in the election.

"Even if we don't, President Biden is more determined than ever to continue what we are doing," Kerry said.

In the wake of the demands pressed by developing nations for a sustained effort to establish a credible climate finance during COP27, Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen said that countries cannot buy themselves out of the climate emergency. 

"We cannot and should not limit ourselves to the question of climate finance. Because one thing is clear: we cannot buy ourselves out of the climate emergency. Money alone won't make our air cleaner, won't stop Earth from warming up," he said. 

"Austria aims to become carbon neutral by 2040. Many other countries have set themselves similar goals, but these goals must be backed up by concrete measures, otherwise they are just blah blah, as Greta Thunberg would say," Austrian president added. 

The Unied Nations called for the immediate release of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a jailed political dissident on hunger strike, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

"UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed deep regret that the Egyptian authorities have not yet released blogger and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah," UN rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that for the sake of African continent and the world, there is a need for a dramatic increase in global mitigation and ambition to keep the world on the 1.5 degree pathway. 

"The commitments that were made must be honored, because failing to honor these commitments breaks trust and confidence in the process," he said. 

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe proposed to establish an international climate change university in the island nation. 

"It is proposed that before we get to Dubai for COP28, like minded nations should meet at the ministerial level to discuss the way forward on all aspects of climate financing," he added. 

"Why do we need this (climate change) funding? It is known fact that the practice of colonialism transferred the rich resources of Asia and Africa to Europe and were used to industrialise their countries. We became poor from this plunder," Wickremesinghe reasoned.

President of Poland, Andrzej Duda said that his country is an example of a country that is following the path of sustainable development, significantly reducing emissions while growing its GDP. 

"Let us, remember, transition is there to serve man, not man to serve transition. Today, we need solidarity and concerted global action as much as ever," he said. 

Macky Sall, President of Senegal, in his address to the COP27 delegates at Sharm El-Sheikh, emphasised on the demand of various African nations for "a just energy transition". 
"Africa here today renews its commitments under Paris Agreement and its commitments to our specific needs being taken into account. What we want is a just energy transition," he said. 

The developing countries, in continuum with investors, rich countries and development banks need to secure $1 trillion a year in external financing for climate action by 2030, a report said on Tuesday, November 8. It also said that the total annual investment requirement of developing countries would hit $2.4 trillion by 2030.

The report, released ahead of talks on climate change finance at the COP27 summit in Egypt, said the funding was required to cut emissions, boost resilience, deal with damage from climate change and restore nature and land.

“The world needs a breakthrough and a new roadmap on climate finance that can mobilize the $1 trillion in external finance that will be needed by 2030 for emerging markets and developing countries other than China,” said the report, commissioned by the current and previous climate summit hosts, Egypt and Britain.

The United Nations' Conference of Parties (COP27) climate summit entered in third day on Tuesday, November 8. 

Among the expected speakers are the advocates for measures to compensate poor, climate-vulnerable countries for damage wrought by global warming. 

They include Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which was recently hit by devastating floods, and the leaders of small island nations Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda, which are susceptible to hurricanes and ongoing sea-level rise.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will also speak on Tuesday, along with European Council President Charles Michel, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and dozens of others.