The 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference (27th Conference of the Parties, COP27) will convene in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 6-18. This year’s summit will cover a number of interrelated themes, including finance, science, youth, decarbonization, adaptation, agriculture, gender, water, civil society, energy, and biodiversity.

With Egypt as host to this first of two back-to-back COP meetings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, followed by the UAE next year, several issues will likely take priority from Egypt’s and Africa’s perspective: a greater emphasis on climate adaptation, particularly with respect to the environment and water resources, a discussion of how to expand climate financing and leverage investment funds to support climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, and an exploration of the concept of compensation for losses and damages to developing countries from developed economies due to climate change.

The effects of climate change have been particularly adverse this year, especially in the MENA region. Sustained droughts continued to diminish water resources from river systems. Dust storms occurred in high frequency and deteriorated air quality to unsafe levels over expansive areas. Devastating flooding caused significant damage and fatalities. And crippling heatwaves persisted over long durations of this summer season.

MEI has created a dedicated space to spotlight COP27, tracking developments and providing analysis on emerging climate change issues and implications leading up to, during, and directly after this critical conference.

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