The COP27 UN Climate Conference is currently underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It’s only the fifth time in the conference’s 27-year history that the event has been held in Africa, despite countries within the continent disproportionately suffering from the effects of the climate crisis.

Extreme weather and climate change are undermining human health and safety, food and water security, and socio-economic development in Africa, and research shows that by 2030, four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources, with drought potentially displacing 700 million people.  African people are suffering right now, too: from farmers in Kenya struggling to get their crops to grow in arid conditions, to fisherman in Tanzania failing to catch any fish now that they’ve lost their coral reef habitats.

Egypt itself is highly vulnerable to climate change and is expected to see more heat waves, dust storms, and extreme weather events in the coming years. Rana, 26, is an Egyptian artist and activist who has witnessed this firsthand, as she lives in the coastal city of Alexandria. “The sea level is rising every year, to the extent that the streets get flooded every winter. It is such a great concern for us all here,” she says. “Not to mention how global warming has affected the climate here in Egypt.” Rising temperatures have already been recorded in Egypt over the past 30 years, with average annual temperatures increasing by 0.53 degrees celsius per decade.

Africa has been called “the most vulnerable continent on Earth” when it comes to climate change – and this is all in spite of the fact that the continent only accounts for between 2 and 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In a bid to address this, the Egyptian presidency is calling for a ‘climate reparations’ fund for the countries – mainly in the Global South – suffering ‘loss and damage’ as a result of richer countries’ incessant industrial activity.

The demand comes at a pertinent time, given that this year has seen devastating floods in Pakistan, as well as heatwaves across India and Pakistan which claimed the lives of 90 people and displaced 33 million. Due to its location in Egypt, many have optimistically dubbed COP27 ‘the African COP’, but will it really make a difference to the world’s most vulnerable nations, or is it, as Greta Thunberg thinks, nothing but a forum for greenwashing? And how do young Egyptians feel about it?

“I’m really happy that my country is hosting,” Ahmed, 34, tells me. “It gives us the opportunity to put more pressure on the government to take action on the climate.” Rana agrees. “I'm really glad that COP27 is taking place in Egypt. It’s such an honour,” she adds. “I hope people can see how beautiful our country is, and how much God has given us over here. We have the mountains, the sea, the sun – this might raise awareness to the Egyptian people, and show them that they should strive to take care of it.”

“COP27 will be a catalyst for good things to happen in Egypt regarding climate change,” Ahmed says. “I think it will have a positive impact. Maybe we need more measures, but I’m really optimistic, because now the government has been pressured to take action.”

But the fact remains that Thunberg does have a point. COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh is sponsored by Coca-Cola, a corporation that in 2019 used three million tonnes of plastic packaging for its 500 brands of fizzy drinks, juices, and water. At last year’s climate summit in Glasgow, countries agreed to commit to “phasing down” coal use – and yet at the start of this year, 34 countries were planning to construct new plants. Plus, a Guardian investigation from earlier this year revealed that ​​oil and gas companies – including several with net zero pledges – were still going ahead with new developments that would tip the world into catastrophe.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to be cynical about how impactful this year’s COP will be. Regardless, young Egyptians seem buoyed up with optimism. And in fairness, remaining hopeful – and channelling that hope into the right places – is one of the most powerful things we can do at this point.