Cop27 news – live: Macron says Europeans ‘the only ones paying’, US and China must ‘step up’

LIVE – Updated at 06:34 French president Emmanuel Macron called on non-European first-world nations, including China and the US, to pay their fair share to help poorer countries struggling with the climate crisis.’We need the US and China to step up,” he told climate campaigners on the sidelines of the Cop27 summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.He insisted that Europeans were the “only ones paying” to financially aid nations reeling under the burden of climate disasters.’Pressure must be put on rich non-European countries, telling them, ‘you have to pay your fair share’,’ he said, according to AFP.Meanwhile, British prime minister Rishi Sunak said that climate and energy security went ‘hand in hand’ and world leaders must act quickly to address the impacts of climate change.’Putin’s abhorrent war in Ukraine, and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change. They are a reason to act faster.’It comes after former US vice president Al Gore has urged governments to ‘stop subsidising the culture of death’ as he urged greater investment in renewables. Sunak says climate and energy security goes ‘hand in hand’Macron calls on US, China to pay their climate shareAl Gore labels our fossil fuel addiction a ‘culture of death’UN chief says world is on the ‘highway to climate hell’Billionaires responsible for a million times more greenhouse gases, says Oxfam 06:14 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar German chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged $170m towards a ‘global shield’ – aimed at helping developing nations suffering damage and losses caused by climate change.’In our role as G7 presidency, we want to create together with the most vulnerable countries a global shield against climate risks,’ he said in a speech at the Cop27 climate conference.’We will also support those countries hit hardest by climate change in a targeted way in dealing with loss and damage’. 06:07 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar World leaders will take the stage again today as the Cop27 climate summit enters its second full day.Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country was recently hit by devastating floods that displaced millions while causing at least $40bn in damages, will address the conference.Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU, will also speak today, along with European Council president Charles Michel, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and dozens of others. 05:33 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday urged the US, China and other non-European first-world nations to pay their fair share to poorer countries dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis.’We need the United States and China to step up’ on emission cuts and financial aid, Mr Macron told French and African climate campaigners on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate summit, according to AFP.’Europeans are paying,’ he said, adding: ‘We are the only ones paying.’Pressure must be put on rich non-European countries, telling them, ‘you have to pay your fair share’.’ 04:54 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar British prime minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly going to announce a natural gas deal with the US after the Cop27 climate summit.Britain hopes the United States will promise about 10 billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over the coming year, according to a report by The Telegraph.The discussions between the two countries are in their final stages and an announcement is expected within a fortnight.’However, it was unclear if the exact amount of gas to be sold by the US would be mentioned when the deal is publicised.The US earlier this year agreed to supply 15 billion cubic metres of LNG to the EU to help the bloc cope with the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar As world leaders descend on Sharm el-Sheikh for Cop27, Egyptian activists are divided as to whether holding the summit under what they say is one of the most repressive governments in the country’s history amounts to an offence or an opportunity.’Egypt is enmeshed in a full-scale human rights crisis,’ said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent Egyptian human rights activist who says he has been banned from leaving the country since 2016 and has had his assets frozen.’Our current government has one of the worst records of human rights around the world.’Rights groups say tens of thousands of government critics including journalists, human rights defenders and activists have been imprisoned under Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who was elected into office in 2014 after a military coup.Saphora Smith reports. © Provided by The Independent Egyptian rights activists divided over holding Cop27 in ‘climate of fear’ 04:05 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar British prime minister Rishi Sunak was abruptly rushed off stage at a Cop27 event yesterday, leaving members of the audience baffled.Mr Sunak was sharing the stage with other world leaders when his aides interrupted him, prompting him to leave the event.There has been no official statement issued by 10 Downing Street to explain the prime minister’s unplanned exit.Although it has been speculated that Mr Sunak left the event for last-minute preparations for the keynote speech he was due to make later in the afternoon.UK prime minister @RishiSunak has just been rushed out of the room by his aides during the middle of the launch for forests partnership at #COP27 pic.twitter.com/OQy9TYkqpX- Leo Hickman (@LeoHickman) November 7, 2022 04:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar The investments of 125 of the world’s richest billionaires emit an annual average of three million tonnes of Cop27 each year, according to Oxfam.The annual emissions are more than a million times the average for someone in the bottom 90 per cent of humanity, the report titled ‘Carbon Billionaires’ said.The world’s richest have a collective $2.4trillion stake in 183 companies and 125 billionaires cumulatively fund 393 million tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year, which according to the report is equal to the annual carbon emissions of France.The report added that each of these billionaires would have to circumnavigate the world almost 16 million times in a private jet to create the same emissions.Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB chief executive, said: ‘It is people in low-income countries who’ve done the least to cause it who are suffering the most – as we are seeing with the devastating drought in East Africa and the catastrophic floods in Pakistan.’We need governments to tackle this urgently by publishing emission figures for the richest people, regulating investors and corporates to slash carbon emissions and taxing wealth and polluting investments.’… these billionaire investors at the top of the corporate pyramid have huge responsibility for driving climate breakdown. They have escaped accountability for too long.’ 03:50 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Over two dozen countries including the UK have formed a partnership committed to halting and reversing forest loss this decade as part of the climate fight.Speaking at the Cop27 talks in Egypt, Rishi Sunak said protecting forests was ‘one of the best ways of getting us back on track’ to limit warming to 1.5C – the threshold beyond which the worst impacts of climate change will be felt.He said the launch of a new partnership to tackle deforestation at Cop27 marked a ‘moment of great hope for the world’s forests’.The UK has announced £90m for conservation in the Congo Basin in Africa. Britain is also pledging a further £65m for funding to support indigenous people and local communities at the heart of forest protection. 03:00 , Joe Middleton The first full day of the year’s most important summit on climate change, known as COP27, got underway on Monday with urgent calls by leaders to slash greenhouse gas emissions as the planet warms and severe weather events become more frequent and destructive.Scores of presidents, along with thousands of diplomats, climate negotiators, business leaders, activists and journalists descended on the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh to take part in discussions and negotiations slated to go through Nov. 18.’Climate change will never stop without our intervention,’ said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, opening the day’s session. ‘Our time here is limited and we must use every second that we have.” © Provided by The Independent Takeaways: Calls for reparations, emissions cuts at COP27 00:01 , Joe Middleton Rishi Sunak has dealt a blow to the developing countries hardest-hit by climate change by shunning appeals for the UK to contribute towards reparations for the natural disasters caused by hundreds of years of industrial pollution.Thirty-year-old demands for a fund to pay for the permanent loss and damage caused by extreme weather were discussed for the first time on the floor of the Cop27 climate change conference in Egypt, with calls for the UK and other rich nations to join Belgium, Denmark and Scotland in committing cash.But the prime minister made no reference to the topic in his five-minute speech in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, instead recommitting to a 2020 pledge of £11.6bn for climate funding over five years and tripling to £1.5bn the UK’s contribution towards measures to boost resilience against future disasters. © Provided by The Independent Blow to vulnerable states as Rishi Sunak shuns calls for climate reparations Monday 7 November 2022 23:26 , Joe Middleton Monday 7 November 2022 22:00 , Joe Middleton Monday 7 November 2022 20:56 , Joe Middleton UNITED ARAB EMIRATES PRESIDENT SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN’The UAE is considered a responsible supplier of energy and it will continue playing this role for as long as the world is in need of oil and gas.’WILLIAM RUTO, PRESIDENT OF KENYA’The lengthy discussions at COPs with its stalling, delaying tactics and procrastination, that have hampered implementation and delivery is simply cruel and unjust. We cannot afford to spend more time skirting around the real issues, and we must break out of the open-ended process-focused discussions we are trapped in.”In the face of impending catastrophe, whose warning signs are already unbearably disastrous, weak action is unwise. No action is dangerous.’MACKY SALL, PRESIDENT OF SENEGAL AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION’Even if Africa contributes less than 4% of greenhouse gases, it subscribes to frugal development of carbon, resilient to climate change, for a goal of carbon neutrality in a reasonable timeframe. We are for a green transition that is equitable and just, instead of decisions that jeopardise our development, including universal access to electricity to which 600 million Africans remain deprived.’MIA MOTTLEY, PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS’How do companies make $200 billion dollars in profits in the last three months and not expect to contribute at least 10 cents in every dollar of profit to a loss and damage fund. This is what our people expect.’FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA, PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC’We should say clearly the rich countries – the top polluters – are the ones who are most to blame for endangering humanity.’ Monday 7 November 2022 20:17 , Joe Middleton Rishi Sunak has dealt a blow to the developing countries hardest-hit by climate change by shunning appeals for the UK to contribute towards reparations for the natural disasters caused by hundreds of years of industrial pollution.Thirty-year-old demands for a fund to pay for the permanent loss and damage caused by extreme weather were discussed for the first time on the floor of the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, with calls for the UK and other rich nations to join Belgium, Denmark and Scotland in committing cash.But the prime minister made no reference to the topic in his five-minute speech at beach resort Sharm el-Sheikh, instead recommitting to a 2020 pledge of £11.6bn for climate funding over five years and tripling to £1.5bn the UK’s contribution towards measures to boost resilience against future disasters.Saphora Smith and Andrew Woodcock have the latest. © Provided by The Independent Blow to vulnerable states as Rishi Sunak shuns calls for climate reparations Monday 7 November 2022 19:58 , Joe Middleton Italy’s new right-wing government remains committed to decarbonisation in line with the Paris climate agreement, prime minister Giorgia Meloni told the Cop27 summit today.Signatories to the 2015 Paris Agreement had pledged to achieve a long-term goal of keeping global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the threshold beyond which scientists say climate change risks spinning out of control.’Despite a very complex international scenario, already affected by the pandemic and further disrupted by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Italy remains strongly committed to pursuing its decarbonization pathway in full compliance with the goals of the Paris agreement,’ Meloni said.’We intend to pursue a just transition to support the affected communities and leave no one behind,’ Meloni, speaking in English, added in her first address to a major international summit since she took office last month.Italy has dramatically reduced its reliance on Russian gas since the invasion of Ukraine in February and Meloni said the country would pursue its energy diversification strategy in partnership with several African countries.She said nations need to do more to respond adequately to