Dr. Joel Light, Au Sable's representative on the campus of University of Northwestern, will be traveling to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt in a few weeks to attend COP27 as an official UN observer. As this COP will focus on the loss and damage suffered by the vulnerable, Dr. Light sees it has his Christian responsibility to participate in the solutions that will protect the “least of these”. He will be posting updates on his journey on the Facebook page which can be found here. A press release issued by Dr. Light is found below.
UNWSP Professor will Serve as Climate Observer at COP27 in Egypt
Official UNFCCC credentials allows Dr. Joel Light to witness important climate meetings
Twin Cities, MN- When upwards to 20,000 people from 195 countries descend next month on the remote town of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt for the COP 27 climate summit, Joel Light, an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, will be among them. His official status as an Observer allows Light to help influence negotiators, report back to his students and constituents in Minnesota, and further mobilize for climate action. The year since the historic COP26 in Glasgow has seen climate change-related impacts further devastate portions of the U.S. as well as other vulnerable regions in the world.
Egypt is the host of COP27 scheduled for November 7-18, 2022 in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheik. COP27 will be the first meeting of the nations in which the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, has been in full effect. Important preparations will be made for the first “global stocktake” scheduled for 2023 when the nations will report on the progress of their carbon reduction targets. Other important items on the COP27 agenda include:
• Nations delivering more ambitious emission reduction plans—called Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs—to better align with what scientists say is required to prevent no more than a 1.5°C (2.7°F) average global warming.
• Developed nations fully honoring commitments they have made to finance mitigation and adaption projects in developing nations.
• Conducting a good-faith discussion toward actual plans on “Loss and Damage” (compensation to low-emitting countries for irreparable damage from climate change).
As an observer, Light will be officially representing the Houghton College as part of the Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP2022). “I am going to COP27,” Light says, "because it is time to participate in the work that is going to make a difference for this pressing problem. Since this COP will focus on the loss and damage suffered by the vulnerable, it is my duty as a Christian person to participate in the solutions that will protect the “least of these”.
Light adds, "My hope for COP27 is that countries will commit to even more stringent emission reductions. I also hope that a formulized plan for determining who is responsible for paying for loss and damage of countries most affected by climate change but least responsible will be created and implemented."