Jeannette attended the COP27 in Egypt along with Kanchan Lama and Yale School of the Environment Students: Destiny Trekiar and Storm Lewis. Here are Jeannette’s reflections:
(not meant to be comprehensive, these are my own impressions from the events I attended and discussions held with others)
Positive observations:
1. This COP had many more organizations showcasing their activities than other COPs, and more demonstrated their initiatives for gender equality/equity and women’s empowerment; there was a strong presence by African women speaking about gender barriers related to finance, technical expertise, etc.
2. Much bigger focus on Adaptation, which lends itself more ‘naturally’ to a recognition of women’s roles (particularly related to agriculture) and need for them to engage in, lead and benefit from activities
3. Strong focus on locally led actions and assuring the local communities reap benefits, especially from Voluntary Carbon Markets, (even in the case of the Indigenous Peoples representatives)
4. More evidence of actions that are both climate mitigation AND adaptationAreas of need:
1. How to measure adaptation results, in ways that can be compared across portfolios, that funders (and perhaps buyers of ‘adaptation units?) can be confident in? I attended 2 events that showcased promising developments for adaptation metrics
2. Private sector engagement in adaptation finance: what is the model for investors to achieve financial returns from adaptation investments?
3. Number of women in leadership positions in governments and climate-related organizations is still far from needed