The famous Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh could soon become synonymous with a new “package arrangement” – one concerning climate changes.

In this major challenge for the entire planet, more than 190 global statespersons will try to find a common ground at this year’s UN climate summit – COP 27, held from 6 to 18 November. It is no exaggeration to say that the survival of people and other living beings on Earth will depend on the points that they will agree on and the level to which the given promises will be fulfilled.

Only this year, some unprecedented values have been recorded when it comes to temperatures, droughts and rainfall all over the world – the Asian heat has melted the glaciers on the Himalayas, Pakistan has had three times more rainfall than ever before, some catastrophic fires have stricken Spain and Portugal, while the great European rivers have almost run dry. Serbia had to endure one of the hardest droughts ever recorded.

So we have already “wrecked” the climate. What we still can do is to keep the global temperature rise at the level to which we can adjust. Scientists say that this is 1.5°C more than the preindustrial age average value.  

HOW TO DO THIS?

The recipe for solving the problem of climate changes has 3 ingredients:

1. To stop further rise in global temperature by exchanging fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – for renewable energy sources, such as sun, wind, or biomass.  Our country, for example, gets 70% of its energy from fossil fuels, mainly coal. Its combustion releases greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere, causing the planet to get warmer, and polluting the air.

2. To adjust as soon as possible to the already occurred climate changes, as well as to those that we know will occur in the near future. In Serbia, this means planting the drought resistant varieties of crops and trees, building new watering systems, as well as adjusting the standards of constructing buildings and roads to the expected climate changes.

3. To invest enough money in the first two “ingredients”, as prevention is 3 times cheaper than repairing the damage! The countries that do not have enough in their budgets to realise this, should be supported by wealthy states, concretely in the amount of $100 billion, as these countries committed to do in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

HOW WILL THE UN CLIMATE SUMMIT HELP?

It will invite countries all over the world to:

• Commit to further reduction in the emission of GHGs by 2030,  

• Secure enough money, through global efforts, for repairing the damage that is already done and adjustments to climate changes, especially in poor countries, 

• Turn these agreements into concrete actions as soon as possible.