Allow me to catch you up on what's been happening here in Egypt. As Americans were preparing to go to the polls, diplomats from across the world were arriving in Sharm El-Sheik to discuss how the world can come together to address the climate crisis.
The conference began with a breakthrough when the topic of loss and damage was added to the official agenda for the first time at a climate conference.1 Loss and damage refers to irreparable harm caused by climate change – loss of life, cultural sites, property, agricultural sites, and entire communities due to sea level rise, flooding, and drought. Vulnerable countries have long called on the wealthy nations that fueled the crisis to take greater responsibility for addressing these losses.
While adding an item to an agenda doesn't guarantee action, it will allow for long-overdue discussions on the topic to move forward at the summit. More than 10,000 Sierra Club members and supporters like you have been asking for progress on this issue in the lead-up to the conference and we're hopeful that this breakthrough will lead to more significant progress.
If you haven't yet taken action on loss and damage, please consider doing so now.
President Biden addressed the summit on Friday, highlighting the progress we have made on climate action in the last couple of years. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the United States can make significant progress toward meeting our climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, reducing emissions by 40 percent by the end of the decade.2 Biden also announced a new EPA rule that will improve oil and gas monitoring, cutting potent methane emissions and protecting communities from pollution.3
This progress on cutting emissions in the United States is important, but we must also do more to mobilize the world to address the climate crisis with the speed and urgency it demands. That should include debt forgiveness to the Global South, fully funding global climate funds, and working with other countries to see that they meet and exceed their climate commitments.
Leaders from climate vulnerable countries like the island nation of Vanuatu are at the forefront of efforts to demand more swift and significant progress on addressing climate change.
There's a sense of urgency here among grassroots leaders that time is running short for the world to act on the climate crisis. The Paris Agreement provided a framework for the world to address the issue of climate change, but progress toward meeting those climate commitments has been too slow.
For this summit to be a success, world leaders must heed the calls of grassroots leaders and step up their ambition on a whole range of climate issues. With your help, we'll continue to demand that the United States does its part.
1. Climate Change Has a Cost. The World Wants the US to Pay Its Share, CNET, November 7, 2022.
2. Inflation Reduction Act Marks a Turning Point in History, Sierra Club, August 11, 2022.
3. EPA Releases Improved Safeguards to Ensure Oil and Gas Operators Monitor and Stop Climate-Warming Methane Leaks, Sierra Club, November 11, 2022.