The UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27) will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November. With the ever-clearer impact of climate change being brought home the world over, each successive COP takes on greater urgency. Last year’s event, COP26 in Glasgow, in the United Kingdom, was felt by climate change activists to have fallen short of what was needed for meaningful progress on this critical issue. This year, Egypt is the host and there has been a stated emphasis on the importance of adaptation, mitigation, and financial support for climate change work. What does it mean for an emerging economy to host this conference? What are the organizers hoping to achieve? And what are the stakes for emerging economies, which have contributed so little to climate change but are bearing the brunt of its impact?

Speakers

Ambassador Mohamed Nasr
Director of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development Department, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

Sarah El-Battouty
Non-resident Scholar, MEI; CEO, ECOnsult; UNFCCC Global Ambassador 

Hani Sewilam
Professor, Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, American University in Cairo

Mirette F. Mabrouk, moderator
Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Egypt Program, MEI