Today, world leaders, ambassadors and representatives gathered for the official opening of the UN climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Opening speeches set the stage for the most important issues amid multiple global crises from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the growing cost of living.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the second day of the conference:
After warnings that protest would be sidelined at COP27, activists say they have been shut out of sharing their stories at the UN climate conference.
Ugandan activist Nyombi Morris says he and fellow campaigners are being denied access to negotiating tables and pushed to the fringes of the event.
“We came to represent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people,” he told Euronews Green.
“But they are not allowing us to enter the room or share our stories.”
Morris was invited as an observer to the conference but is now wondering what he is doing in Egypt.
“I wanted to share my story as a climate migrant.”
Human Rights Watch claims that Egyptian authorities carried out unlawful surveillance on climate activists including installing cameras in taxis.
“As participants are arriving for COP27, it is becoming clear that Egypt’s government has no intention of easing its abusive security measures and allowing for free speech and assembly,” says Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director for the NGO.
Human Rights Watch added that dozens of people were arrested for calling for protests and demonstrations have been heavily restricted in the run-up to the event.
The opening of COP27 was delayed by disagreements over whether climate compensation should be formally discussed this year. But, for the first time in history, funding for loss and damage has made it
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