Sharm El Sheik, Egypt – From 6 November - 20 November, feminist activists campaigned for human-rights-focused, decolonial and feminist climate justice during the UN climate negotiations. Although COP27 marked a historical win for Loss and Damage with a fund officially being established on Saturday 19 November, decision-makers failed to implement real solutions to avoid further Loss and Damage.
“COP has failed us! Again! And our common struggle is not getting easier. But we will continue to resist,” said Patricia Wattimena of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development who attended the climate negotiations in Egypt. “Nothing can sustain feminist movements more than solidarity and our determination to seek justice and make polluters pay for their historical and present responsibility to the peoples and the environment."
“My assessment of COP27 is quite grim despite a Loss and Damage fund. No meaningful ways to reduce carbon emissions while upholding human rights were agreed upon,” said Emilia Reyes of Equidad De Género: Ciudadanía, Trabajo Y Familia, who also attended the conference in person. “The finance battle was a failure. Much more loss and damage to come: all the money in the world is not enough without ambitious action.”
No Climate Justice without Gender Justice
110 Heads of state and government gathered at COP27 and only seven were women. The climate crisis is not gender-neutral. Women and girls remain the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change yet are not included in much of the decision-making process. Overcoming the climate emergency must be done in incongruency with fighting gender inequality.
“We continue to collectively amplify the message that there is no climate justice without gender justice and human rights,” said Tetet Lauron of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation from the Philippines. ”Feminist movements are frustrated that gender remains de-prioritized and tokenistic in official negotiations.”
Fossil Fuels
In the nearly 30 years of the climate negotiations, the complete phasing out of the main cause of global warming - fossil fuels - has never been addressed in the decisions, not even in the most recent COP.
"The failure of COP27 to address the immediate, just and equitable phase out of fossil fuels is extremely dangerous. This monstrous industry is destroying the planet on a massive scale, threatening communities, and is behind the killings of environmental and women's human rights defenders,” said Patricia. “We cannot keep the 1.5 alive or address loss and damage while allowing fossil fuels to keep burning. Real climate solutions and fossil fuel industry- they cannot live under the same sky."
“A wide set of COP27 decisions has been adopted and once again the Paris Agreement is used to advance false solutions promoting the status quo rather than radically accelerating the race to phase out fossil fuels,” said Sébastien Duyck of Center for International Environmental Law.
“COP27 draft text is even weaker than COP26 regarding Fossil Fuels,” said Lidy Nacpil of Asian Peoples Movement on Debt & Development. “We demand explicit commitment to rapid, just and equitable phase-out of ALL fossil fuels before 2050!”
Climate and gender activist Hwei Mian Lim: “We’re running out of time to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal in reach. This COP has shown once again that off-setting, the creation of loopholes, and paving the way for risky technologies through market mechanisms are more agreeable than ensuring the establishment of social and environmental safeguards, and gender-responsive solutions and action to phase-out fossil fuels.”
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