The 2022 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference — COP27 —  marked the UN’s 27 Climate Change Conference held from Nov. 6 to Nov. 20.

“The United Nations Climate Conference is about possible strategies and initiatives each country can do to reduce carbon emissions and to promote climate activism, without it we would have almost virtually no change made in the world. Without the climate convention, we would not be introduced to new funds for new climate scientists,” Miami Palmetto Senior High sophomore and Miami Youth Climate Summit Vice President Sofia Arnau said.

COP27 offers world leaders the opportunity to take action against the global threat of climate change.

“If no change is made our oceans will rise, temperatures will get to an all-time high, the air will get smoky [and] we will have very polluted oceans. A lot of eco habitat loss will happen and a lot of children will grow up not being able to see forests or a non-polluted water source,” Arnau said.

During the conference, multiple deals and agreements were made. One of the most notable is a historic provision to establish a fund helping poor countries combat the harm caused by climate change.

Beyond loss and damage, the final agreement was a letdown for those seeking to intensify the goals of last year’s Glasgow agreement. The statement did not include a commitment to cut down coal emissions to cover all fossil fuels, and also lacked any reference to global greenhouse gas emissions peaking by 2025.

The COP27 Conference ran nearly two days past its scheduled deadline as countries struggled to reach a consensus on a plan that would reduce global reliance on fossil fuels, while also assisting developing countries in paying for the damage caused by climate-related disasters.

The final agreement reaffirms the 2015 Paris climate agreement’s mandate to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius worldwide. 

One of the main issues at this year’s climate conference was the lack of funding for developing nations. The pressures endured by these countries due to inflation and massive debt loads have increased as a result of wealthier countries’ refusal to provide promised funds.

The final agreement states that wealthy nations must provide financial help to developing countries. In order for evolving nations to receive more climate funding without increasing their debt loads, it calls for reforms at development banks such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Additionally, it claims development banks, which were set up to give financial and technical aid to poorer countries, should do more to encourage private investment in low-income nations.