2022 offered mixed reviews for the climate. Natural disasters wreaked billions of dollars worth of damage while developed countries made strides in the transition to renewable energy. The 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, secured funding for losses and damage and reopened dialogue between the US and China on climate change. The milestones for the climate in 2022 are as follows:

Natural disasters

Aerial view of flooding in Pakistan (Credit: UNICEF/Mogwanja)

Many of 2022’s deadliest natural disasters were floods. Pakistan’s summer monsoon caused flooding that displaced 33 million people, destroyed almost two million homes, and claimed more than 1,500 lives. Much of the farmland, which people rely on for their livelihoods, remains submerged, as aid groups vie to secure funds to assist displaced families battling disease outbreaks. Floods also struck Afghanistan, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, and India, each killing over 100 people.

Drought in East Africa is causing borderline famine conditions and exacerbating political conflict. Somalia’s Al Shabab militant checkpoints hinder aid distribution and have alienated some groups fearful of kidnapping.

Global South nations saw the most devastating effects of natural disasters, given their less robust infrastructure. However, in the US, Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, caused significant damage making landfall and destroying homes, businesses, and transportation infrastructure. Many residents lacked flood insurance and decided not to rebuild in the state, known for its prime coastal real estate.

Multilateral initiatives

COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, was the major climate conference of the year. For the first time, young people were offered an official space to hold policy discussions, though some protests, a hallmark of climate conferences, were suppressed. Despite critics’ claims that not much was achieved in the way of concrete plans, the major talking point at the conference was loss and damage funding for states disproportionately affected by climate change despite contributing least to its effects. Despite still being considered a developing country, China signed on to the newly established fund.

Egypt received funds to protect its coral reefs, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres put forward an initiative to create a global early warning system for climate disasters, stating that “just 24 hours’ notice of an impending hazardous event can cut damage by 30 per cent.”

Earlier in the year, the UN Environment Programme hailed a plastic pollution treaty as significant as the Paris Agreement. The scheme aims to limit plastic pollution, considering the life cycle of a product and addressing package design. However, controversy emerged over how the efforts should be pursued by nations—mandatory at the global level or voluntary at the national level.

This frequently becomes the sticking point in climate negotiations, though enforcement is rarely robust. Given the prominence of online shopping, countries that manufacture a lot of consumer goods have the upper hand in setting norms for product packaging.

Energy infrastructure

The war in Ukraine has pushed Europe to rethink its energy dependence, given its reliance on Russian oil and natural gas. During the summer months, a record 12 per cent of EU electricity was generated by solar power.

Major Russian gas pipelines to Europe

The UK approved £6 billion to insulate homes to improve energy efficiency. Beginning in 2021, the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion blocked highways to demonstrate for a programme they called “Insulate Britain.” However, some activists were arrested, and the government obtained court injunctions to ban demonstrating on major motorways. The protesters’ actions were not attributed to the plan to invest in home insulation projects.

Emissions

In November, France banned short-haul flights where a train alternative of two and a half hours or less was an option. The plan applies to three local routes and does not affect international flights, though the French government is encouraging international carriers to follow suit. Belgium made a similar effort to address air travel emissions and noise pollution by imposing a levy on private jets, older and noisier aircraft, and short-haul flights.

Brazil’s returning President, Lula da Silva, offered another positive development on emissions, pledging to stop deforestation in the Amazon. Under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation reached a six-year high. The Amazon Rainforest is critical to climate regulation, producing 6-9 per cent of the world’s total oxygen and absorbing more carbon than it emits when left pristine.

Climate projections point to this decade as the last chance to prevent a warming tipping point and keep 1.5°C alive, though 2°C will likely become the new goal. Governments did make progress on some climate commitments, getting a larger percentage of energy from renewable sources, supporting electric vehicle infrastructure projects, and addressing less obvious aspects of climate change.

Enforcement and active monitoring of emissions data, incentivising the private sector to pivot to more environmentally conscious options and disbursing pledged funds to vulnerable countries demonstrate a government’s commitment to its climate goals. The Muslim News will monitor such developments in 2023.

Sarah Sakeena Marshall, American University’s School of Intl Service,
The Muslim News Environmental Columnist