Egypt, the country hosting COP27 later this year, wants to ensure there’s no backtracking on past commitments to slow the pace of climate change — even as global leaders grapple with food shortages, an energy crisis and high inflation.
The annual United Nations-sponsored Conference of Parties is scheduled for November in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, who is also the conference’s president, spoke to Bloomberg News about the challenges ahead.
"The conference is going to be held in a difficult geo-political situation, with the world facing energy and food challenges,” he said in written answers to questions. "Of course all of this could impact the level of ambition and might lead to distractions of the climate change priority.”