In light of the upcoming COP27 in Egypt, examine the reasons behind countries failing to meet their targets and falling back to coal. What can be done to ensure a climate-friendly solution to the ongoing energy crisis?

The 27th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is going to be conducted at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

As the next round of global climate talks is around the corner, the concerns regarding countries unable to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions due to global factors, are deepening.

Reasons:

• Energy Chaos in Europe due to the Ukraine conflict is having ramifications all over the world.
• Russia considerably reduced its natural gas supply to Europe in response to West’s economic sanctions.
• Coal making a comeback to developed countries in Europe. Countries like Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France and Uk are reviving their coal-based plants and even considering enhancing the capacities.
• Global seaborne coal exports are hitting record high.
• Massive inflation in energy costs.

Implications:

• The gains made during the Paris and Glasgow accords are at the risk of being reversed.
• The actions agreed during Paris and Glasgow accords are still falling short and the ongoing energy crisis can make it worse.

Way forward:

India and other developing countries must build pressure on the west at COP27 to build resilience for their power markets through increased focus on renewables.