Worries intensify amid no consensus on peaking of emission among G20 countries
G20 member countries are responsible for 80% of global emissions and GDP
Commitments on reigning in greenhouses gas emissions by 2025 and setting a global warming target of under 1.5°C are two of the thorniest issues holding up chances of a consensus within Group of 20 (G20) members, people aware of discussions between the nations said on Thursday, mere hours before a much-awaited joint statement was expected at Chennai.
Among the holdouts, the people said, were countries such as Saudi Arabia that strongly oppose on peaking emissions being part of the communique, or joint statement, expected following the meeting of the G20 environment and climate ministers underway at Chennai.
“Most of the brackets are around the issue of peaking. Naturally that clouds the entire mitigation issue,” said an official who is attending the meeting, asking not to be named.
“What has already not been agreed on in the energy track in Goa cannot be agreed on here. The 1.5 degree will be cushioned. There are disagreements on that. Everyone is holding their positions on emissions, climate finance etc. We are trying to be as inclusive as possible. We are also trying other means like making them sign on blue economy principles which is also a climate issue with sea level rise and ocean acidification,” added another official.
Negotiations continued till early morning on Thursday and resumed later in the afternoon.
The meeting is being attended by all G20 environment and climate ministers, including United States Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry.
G20 member countries are responsible for 80% of global emissions and GDP. The grouping is also a unique mix of rich and emerging economies -- from the US and the EU to India and China which have varied priorities based on their economic status and historical contribution to emissions.
On the sidelines of the ministerial, a Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) by G20 chair India, led by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, was convened. Environment and climate ministers of Denmark, Canada, EU, Italy, France and Mauritius joined the coalition.
HT reported on July 23 that the G20 energy track in Goa failed to reach consensus on critical climate issues such as trebling of renewable energy deployment and phasing down of fossil fuels. That meant there was no communique or joint statement, and only a chair’s summary was issued. Yadav, however, had said the talks were still “one of the most successful” for the bloc, and that it laid down important groundwork ahead of the COP28 climate talks later this year.
Concerned with slow progress of the G20 on climate mitigation, Sultan Al-Jaber, the president-designate of this year’s UN Climate talks (COP28) in Saudi Arabia, and Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), issued a joint statement from Chennai calling on the G20 to deliver a strong statement on climate mitigation.
“The G20 must affirm its commitment to achieve the operationalisation of the fund and funding arrangements for loss and damage. Those at the frontline of climate change need our support now, not in 5 years’ time,” they said
Germany’s state secretary and special envoy for International Climate Action, Jennifer Morgan, issued a statement on Wednesday stating that she expected a clear outcome on climate mitigation from Chennai. “…G20 must agree on joint ambitious climate action, such as phasing out of fossil fuels and setting an ambitious global target for renewable energy and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements,” the statement said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ‘s Working Group III report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change had said limiting warming to around 1.5°C requires global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43% by 2030; at the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third.
The environment ministry in a note on Thursday said there are extensive discussions on water resource management, preamble and climate change, resource efficiency and circular economy and blue economy under the environment and climate track.
