Climate conference in Egypt: another round of weapon-grade nothing

In the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, the annual UN climate summit begins on Sunday. The host country hopes to be a bridge builder between Africa and Western countries. Such cooperation can also bring a lot to Europe. Yet no one knows in advance exactly what this summit will bring.

Sunday is the ceremonial opening, but the real start is Monday, when the heads of government arrive. About a hundred of them are expected, including US president Joe Biden. The biggest absentee, like last year, is Chinese president Xi.

World leaders will give speeches. The main topic of this summit is the great damage that the poorest and most vulnerable countries suffer from climate change. An important question in these speeches is whether there are countries that also pull the purse, or whether it mainly stays with beautiful words.