A year ago, Irn-Bru proved an unlikely hit at Cop26 as delegates from around the world tried the Scottish delicacy for the first time. But in Egypt, the battle to find food and water at all has been a core part of the culinary experience at the climate summit.
In the first few days of Cop27, water fountains and refrigerators emblazoned with the logo of sponsor Coca-Cola stood empty in the African sun as thirsty delegates looked on. Stall workers argued with each other as the final few sandwiches, quiche slices and croissants ebbed away.
Ice-cream stands have been the only places not affected by shortages. One delegate said they had resorted to eating three ice-creams in one day.
“I tried to have a big breakfast but it’s not working,” said the woman, who works for an NGO, 40 minutes deep into a queue for a newly opened burger stand. She – and everyone else the Guardian spoke to for this article – did not want to give her name.
“It’s been terrible. There is one line for food and another for paying. It is a good thing people are honest. I went up and got three ice-creams yesterday before I finally paid.”
A short walk away, a delegate from an American university was down to the final snack she had stuffed into the plastic wrapping she had repurposed from her hotel slippers. The remains of a chocolate doughnut she had eaten earlier in the day were still visible on the sides, sweating in the evening heat.
“All I have now is a pear. I have not been able to find water. There are only the orange and mango drinks. My colleagues warned me so I came prepared,” she said.
On the eve of Cop27, as negotiators argued over whether loss and damage should make the summit agenda, the food shortages added to the tense mood, with no food left out overnight. Delegates could be seen eating meals from McDonald’s which had been driven through the desert to the conference centre.
On the first day, long queues could be seen across the Cop27 site, with some saying they had been waiting 45 minutes to get a snack.
“Ice-cream is easy to get if you want it. We shouldn’t complain. It’s a conference in the desert of a developing country. I didn’t know what to expect, but at least the country pavilions have free coffee,” one man said.
“The queues have been long and the food is basic. There’s nothing really for vegetarians, which is strange for a climate conference,” another attender said.
As concerns about the food and water supply spread, workers could be seen stacking huge boxes of water, and large deliveries of cookies and croissants started to appear in food stalls by Tuesday afternoon. But some delegates remained hard to please.
“You have to try very hard to make a sandwich as bad as this,” said one woman. “I had nothing all day yesterday. Today I’ve just lowered my expectations. The queues are a bit shorter. I’ll just have to eat well back at my hotel.”
The Cop27 presidency and UNFCCC have been contacted for comment.
