China and the United States absent from the climate summit

China and the United States, the two biggest polluters in the world, are the big absentees from COP 27, which began Monday, November 7 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. “The two largest economies, the United States and China, have a special responsibility. They must join forces to achieve a pact. This is our only hope for success”said Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, opening the ceremony.

“Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It’s either a climate solidarity pact or a collective suicide pact”, alerted Antonio Guterres. Current commitments fall far short of the Paris Agreement of 2015. The goal is to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century. However, the current trajectory is estimated at 2.8°C. Another commitment not kept, financial aid to countries in the South, particularly affected by climate change. For Emmanuel Macron, solidarity with poor countries must be respected.