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Alastair Thompson

Nov 19 • 11 tweets • 5 min read

Set up for closing plenary has started for this #AfricaCOP # #COP27.

A few additional minor issues have slightly delayed the start but barring any surprises this should be done around midnight.

I took these pictures in the now deserted pavilions. With Africa & NZ

@TimmermansEU

Day break saw a new text from the Presidency which I don’t think I ever emerged into the light of the day.

The next major development came at 10.30 with this standup by @TimmermansEU expressing confidence that a compromise on #LossAndDamage was coming.

After Timmermans spoke Eamon Ryan, the EU #LossAndDamage negotiator gave a smaller group standup with more detail.

@350

Two NGO Press Conferences followed from @350 and #ClimateActionNetwork which were somewhat highly charged raising concerns about #LossAndDamage, the role of the US and fossil fuel lobbyist influence over the mitigation work plan.

I’ll post these later.

Next up Canada, Norway and NZ’s James Shaw.

share.icloud.com/photos/001Xx2j…

This was a particularly charged standup with rumours flying Canada and NZ were diverging from the “Umbrella Group” position (led by the U.S.) which had allegedly sought to push back on #LossAndDamage.

@JohnKerry

US Climate Envoy @JohnKerry has been MIA the last few days, seemingly leaving Europe to do all the heavy lifting. He is also said to have covid, and negotiating with China about something. But if there has been any outcome of this effort it is yet to be revealed.

The Closing Plenary finally restarted shortly after 3am local time. And it is now 6.20am and the sun is rising. Quite a lot of people have fallen asleep in their seats.

It has well and truly risen now.

Super rational copsters don’t really know how to celebrate a win. Nothing will ever be enough. But #cop27 was a success, it fixed the most egregious errors of Glasgow.

It doesn’t remotely put us on a 1.5o path but it’s a step in the right direction towards making that possible.

And it was bloody difficult. And doing something difficult is also a step in the right direction.

Things are going to get a lot more difficult in the years ahead.

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/ends

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More from @althecat

Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 20

#COP27 Cover Text.

The addition of the words “developing countries” to this text was raised with me earlier in the evening with the suggestion that this could result in the exclusion of Pakistan, which depending on how it is interpreted might not be a developing country.

The CMA - Paris Agreement - meeting has now broken for a pause of 30 minutes - to read the latest version of the cover text which has been consulted on by the Presidency over the past 7 hours of unexpected delays in the convening of this closing meeting.

This pause came as a result of a Swiss intervention requesting it, as this final text was only posted to the website as the meeting started. All the subsidiary texts had been cleared and finalized earlier in the day.

Read 6 tweets

Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 19

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1593945955815956481

A small video tribute to the Scottish Govt. which bravely kicked off the #LossAndDamage implementation pathway last year at #cop26 in Glasgow by establishing a loss and damage fund unilaterally and putting 5 million pounds in it. This was dropped however on the final day.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1593945955815956481

The Loss & Damage Text was signed off about an hour and a half ago in a meeting convened by the Presidency with only final modifications from the penultimate text.

The Loss and Damage Fund will be established and become tentatively operational at #cop28 in Dubai.

This information is as confirmed from s sources in the meeting. Those present in the meeting included US, EU, UK, G77 an African Minister, Switzerland and others. This has effectively removed the most significant hurdle from #Cop27 concluding successfully later today.

Read 9 tweets

Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 18

Video thread of a standup yesterday afternoon in the Cairo Press Conference Room with Eamon Ryan, the European Union's lead negotiator in 'loss and damage. 1/5

Loss & Damages has emerged as the most contentious of five areas in the negotiations in which the parties are yet to finalise agreed texts.
[Quoted thread ... Earlier thread covering part of the stocktaking session discussion of #LossAndDamage last night.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1593373862581895171?s=20&t=WTuBfqW7x1JIgPhIJRySkg

]

Minister Ryan's Standup was held immediately prior to an EU Press Conference in the afternoon, 6 hours before the stocktaking session. 2/5

Read 26 tweets

Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 17

@BradSherman

The remarks in response to the unfathomably misguided questions from the TPLF congressman from California @BradSherman⁩ in this clip are to be expected. He’s on their payroll.

⁦@AsstSecStateAF⁩’s responses however are very unfortunate.

As an active participant/sponsor of this peace, as well as someone who is fully aware of the facts in this war, the misrepresentations in Sherman’s questions ought to have been challenged by Phee not assented to.

@AsstSecStateAF

For many Ethiopians, the humouring (at best) and apparent concurrence by Phee with the unfounded allegations and tone of the Congressman by @AsstSecStateAF will be received as if it is yet another US gut punch, bringing back the worst days in 2021.

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Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 17

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1593361091568046082

The #cop27 closing is now underway. And multiple contentious issues remain open. The stocktaking session following the formal session featured multiple report backs from Ministers charged with seeking consensus in contentious areas.

https://twitter.com/althecat/status/1593361091568046082

#climatefinance ministerial stocktake.

Read 24 tweets

Alastair Thompson

@althecat

Nov 17

@UNFCCC

The Nefertiti Plenary room. The Closing Plenary has begun. During this process documents from a range of different bodies, which together make up the decisions of the COP (conference of the parties to the @UNFCCC convention) are formally adopted.

One of the first items in this is the invitation to #COP28 to be held in Dubai next year. A representative for the UAE 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates made an inspirational statement about the work of the COP.

Three decisions submitted by the SBSTA were then adopted without objection. Under the headings of SBI decisions there were two interventions, one from Armenia about discrimination and two about #LossAndDamage from Antigua and Barbados and one from Colombia.