Patrick Greenfield, reporter, Age of extinction
LONDON- The year since Cop26 has been one of extremes. Europe suffered its worst drought for half a millennium: mighty rivers nearly ran dry, London experienced 40C for the first time and the continent's forests burned. China sweltered in the most extreme heatwave since records began, at least 1,500 people died in flooding that submerged a third of Pakistan and the Brazilian Amazon continued to disappear at the worst rate in 15 years.
This is just the beginning. We have already lived through the coolest years of our lives and the ones ahead will be more extreme. Yet there appears to be a growing feeling of apathy ahead of Cop27.
Officials quietly whisper that next month's summit in Sharm el-Sheikh will not be as important as other Cops. The question of who pays compensation for damage caused by global heating in the most vulnerable countries in the world is likely to dominate, something the rich nations responsible for the vast majority of the pollution are keen to dodge.
The invasion of Ukraine, a global economic slowdown and the Covid-19 pandemic have left little money for environmental issues. Turning the other cheek is looking like an appealing option for the world leaders of wealthier countries, but they would be foolish to do so.
The issue of loss and damage will define the success of the Paris agreement and whether we limit global heating to below 2C. In the coming years, parts of our planet are likely to become unlivable, food supplies will be constrained and waves of climate migration will follow.
This is not charity. Not all countries are equally to blame for what we are living through.
So far, rich countries have failed to take responsibility for the consequences of the invisible pollution that continues to heat our atmosphere. The $100bn per year target of climate adaptation finance for developing countries has still not been met, damaging trust, and crucial leaders may even stay away from Cop27.
It is easy to talk a big game about the importance of climate change. But as with many things in life, a large part of meeting the Paris agreement is about money.
It is time for wealthy countries to pay for the damage they continue to cause.
