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2022 has been the biggest reality check on climate change and the urgency to prioritize climate action with no further delays. The world cannot escape the reality of the climate crisis- droughts, fires, extreme heat and unprecedented weather events happen daily the world over. Additionally, the unsustainable nature of our energy, food, and agriculture systems was also exposed by the Russia- Ukraine crisis.

Rather than implement climate action, we have consistently seen leaders back sliding in the commitments made in Paris and in Glasgow.  Here is a recap of 2022 in climate events captured in tweets.

IPCC

The IPCC report cited governments’ commitments as “critically insufficient and urged countries to ramp up their NDCs, indicating that the world is heading for 2.4C by 2100 on current targets.

Russia Invasion

The Russian invasion on Ukraine resulted in a global food and energy crisis that countries are still struggling to recover from, due to the over-reliance on dirty  fossil fuels .

Consequently, protestors called on the governments of the world to stop funding the war with over a quarter of the EU’s oil coming from Russia.

G7

On the heels of the IPCC report, the global food, and energy crisis instigated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and climate impacts displacing communities and impacting economies, the G7 meeting came with hope and anticipation of key climate action ahead of COP27.

However, G7 leaders struggled to stay on the climate track and the Bonn climate talks resulted in a disappointing stalemate with no real progress.

EU Taxonomy

Meanwhile, the EU risked major setbacks in climate action progress by proposing to label “gas” green in the EU taxonomy.

Climate Impacts

While leaders continued to delay on climate action, extreme weather devastation continued, with Pakistan paying a high price. Over a thousand people died, 1,600 injured, 33 million displaced, two million acres of crops gone and a third of the country under water.

Europe experienced the hottest summer in recorded history with extreme heatwaves, droughts, and fires reported in many parts of the continent.

G20

Global leaders continued to delay action and backslide on their commitments, as the G20 talks held in Bali on August 31st, concluded without a joint communique, ahead of COP27