Belgian Climate Minister disappointed by COP27 outcomes

On Sunday morning, Belgian Federal Climate Minister Zakia Khattabi (Ecolo, French-speaking green party) expressed disappointment at the outcome of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh. She summarised the results using a French expression, "the mountain has given birth to a mouse", meaning that great hope came to nothing. Khattabi served as a European Union negotiator for the summit's mitigation component.

Khattabi welcomed the creation of a loss and damage fund but regretted that it came at the expense of efforts on mitigation, or the containment of climate change effects by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "Both go hand in hand for me, solidarity is also doing everything possible to avoid loss and damage," she stated. "Now we continue to be of two minds." 

The minister points out that recent reports indicate we are heading for global warming of 2.5 degrees Celsius. "That is a catastrophe for humanity, especially for the most vulnerable countries."

The Belgian climate minister attributes the failure of a more ambitious text to "the lack of trust" between negotiating parties. "This agreement was the only one possible in this context," she said.

Khattabi does end on a hopeful note. "A new chapter is being opened. The first lines should help restore confidence. That is a necessary condition for a more ambitious agreement in the future."

(KOR)

^{Belgian Federal Environment and Climate Minister Zakia Khattabi © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}