How a Flawed But Historic Climate Deal Emerged From COP Chaos
The UN climate summit just barely avoided ending in deadlock, and the final compromise left big doubts over the prospect for new efforts to curb emissions.
Sameh Shoukry, center, speaks during the closing session of the COP27 on Nov. 20.
Photographer: Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images
Hours after the COP27 climate talks reached the deadline, there was still no deal and the European Union’s climate chief was threatening to leave Sharm El-Sheikh without one. “We don’t want a result at any price,” Frans Timmermans told reporters, flanked by ministers from Germany, Austria, Ireland and Spain. “The EU would rather have no decision than a bad decision.”
The annual United Nations climate summit has only ended once without a major agreement, and in recent years, as the impacts of climate change have become more devastating, the meetings have taken on increased urgency. In the 24 hours after Timmermans and the EU raised the prospect of a no-deal outcome in Egypt, delegates from nearly 200 countries barely managed to avoid a stalemate.