This photo taken on Nov. 6, 2022 shows a view of China's pavilion at the venue of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has been hitting the headlines the world over with the North-South debate on climate change heating up since its opening.

The gathering takes place as the world has been afflicted with a global polycrisis. During the past year, overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries were suffering from geopolitical conflicts, elevated energy and food prices, soaring inflation, and last but not least - frequent extreme weather conditions.

Using the energy shortage as an excuse, some European countries have fallen back to traditional energy sources such as coal. Hit by the financial crisis, some have temporarily put aside the battle against climate change.

Meanwhile, developing countries battered by climate disasters are craving for financial and technical support, while developed countries have never fulfilled their pledge made in 2009 to provide 100 billion U.S. dollars annually in climate finance.

Under such challenging global circumstances, as a participant and leader in the process of and contributor to enhancing global ecological conservation, China has always been committed to a path of green development, contributing to enhancing global climate governance through a wide range of pragmatic actions.

People visit the Green Zone of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

LOSS AND DAMAGE

At COP27, loss and damage is a frequently mentioned topic. With the joint efforts of a large number of developing countries, the loss and damage funding was introduced as an agenda item for the first time in the 30-year history of the UN climate change conference.

However, the vulnerable countries are strongly demanding climate damage compensations at COP27, to which developed countries, who made historical contributions to global climate change, have turned a deaf ear.

Disappointing still is not only their failure to repay the climate debt they owed to poor countries, but their reckless reopening of coal power plants, which jeopardizes global progress in reducing emissions.

Such retrogressive and irresponsible behaviors are blasted by developing countries, not least the vulnerable ones susceptible to the impacts of imminent global climate change.

Naz Baloch, member of Pakistan's National Assembly and parliamentary secretary on climate change, pointed out that the developed countries have been reluctant to fulfill their pledge to provide 100 billion dollars in climate finance as they do not "understand the significance of climate change and have their own priorities."

"What happened in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan," said Baloch. "No country is immune to climate change."

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni lashed out at Europe's return to coal energy, deeming it "brazen double standards" towards Africa in its climate and energy policies.

"We will not accept one rule for them and another rule for us," Museveni wrote in his blog released at COP27.

Magdy Allam, an Egyptian climate and environment expert, also accused Europe of "escaping its climate change obligation," saying that the energy crisis in Europe "shows the world that we should search for alternatives and turn to the green economy and change our concepts of consuming energy."

"We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit, adding that "the planet is fast approaching the tipping point that will make climate chaos irreversible."

"Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish," the UN chief warned at the leader summit.