Almost 2,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in flooding in Pakistan this year. This developing nation, which has contributed relatively little to global climate change, now bears the brunt of disruptions to global weather patterns. The Pakistani government has limited resources to assist its citizens, who are suffering for the crimes of others, yet has been unable to acquire meaningful global aid.

Everyone can agree it is the responsibility of the global community to step in and assist, as other countries have benefited from the industrialization that has created the problem. This year’s Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27) was a move in the right direction toward ensuring that the tragedy that occurred this year in Pakistan is never repeated.

The events in Pakistan make up one of many global catastrophes that were discussed at COP27, which was hosted in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh. Leaders of many nations, including U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, attended negotiations. The most important result of the COP27 conference was the creation of a climate-damage fund to assist developing nations with the growing number of natural disasters they face. The fund will also assist countries working to limit climate change.

This step showed good faith and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the global community, something that developed nations have otherwise failed to demonstrate by not reducing their emissions. Nation-states need to continue working with each other, as climate change requires a global solution, not a hodgepodge of disjointed attempts at a solution.

Unfortunately, COP27, like its predecessor COP26, had too many faults for it to be truly hailed as a complete success. One critical fault is that countries that contribute disproportionately to climate change, such as China, India, and many Arab Gulf States, are not being held accountable for their decision not to take an active role in the fight for our planet. Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, and Mohamed bin Salman were conspicuously absent from the conference, as are their countries’ contributions to the climate-damage fund. This is completely unacceptable, as without the full participation of the nations that play an outsized role in causing climate change, whatever actions the rest of the global community takes will be limited in their scope and effectiveness.

All in all, COP27 was a step in the right direction. However, it was harmed by the passive positions of critical members of the international community. Every nation with the ability to do so needs to stop hiding behind excuses and contribute to the efforts of the conference. If nations continue to prioritize material benefits for their citizens over the good of humanity as a whole, there will come a time where the effects of climate change are so great that every nation will suffer the full force of Mother Nature’s fury.