From the impassioned voice-cracks of Greta Thunberg, to the striking end-of-world narratives found in film and media, there is little doubt that climate change has graduated to the forefront of international affairs. For the uninitiated, who are now a dwindling minority, climate change refers to man-caused “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns” which inevitably trigger natural disasters, droughts, scarcity, and fatalities by the fistful. The United Nations (UN) has been aggressive in promoting concerted climate action over the past three decades, with annual council meetings taking place in prime locations across the globe. With the help of sanctions and international agreements, many countries have done a fair bit to mitigate the effects of climate change—still, there is much that needs doing. The most recent of these interventions comes packaged as the UN Climate Change Conference 2022, more commonly referred to as COP27. To take place in Egypt’s own Sharm el-Sheikh between 6 November and 18 November, COP27 is another “opportunity to showcase unity” against this existential threat, argues President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. This conference marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and…
