Climate Change And Sustainable Development Are At The Top Of The G20's Priority List.
Written byTimes Magazine
Key Sentence:
- Climate change and Covid became the main agenda of the world's largest economies meeting in Italy.
- This is the first time since the pandemic began that G20 leaders have met face-to-face.
Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia were not in Rome for the summit but have decided to appear via video link. The negotiations come amid increasingly dire warnings about the future unless immediate action is taken to reduce emissions. The G20, which consists of 19 countries and the European Union, accounts for 80% of global CO2 emissions.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi opened the two-day summit and told world leaders that "it is not an option. We must do everything we can to overcome our differences." The summit will set the tone for the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, which begins Monday, and there are still sharp divisions between countries on their commitment to tackling climate change.
"Multilateralism is the good answer to the problems they face today. In many ways, this is the only possible answer," said Mr. Draghi in his opening remarks. Speaking to the , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described climate change as "the greatest threat to humanity" and said it posed "a risk to civilization retreating."
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However, he acknowledged that neither the G20 nor COP26 would stop global warming but "could limit global temperature rise" with the proper steps. According to Reuters, the draft communique outlined the G20's pledge to work to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C (2.7°F) and said it "requires meaningful and effective action from all parties."
The project also suggests that "developed countries should mobilize US$100 billion (£73 billion) annually from public and private sources to meet the needs of developing countries by 2025" to tackle climate change - a pledge by countries Rich hadn't made it happen since 2009 when it was initially set.
Analysis box from James Landdale, Diplomatic. correspondent
In recent years, many countries have taken care of the number one. They make their vaccines; they put up trade barriers; they put up economic growth in the face of the climate crisis.
Mario Draghi's thoughts were that this had to stop. The Italian prime minister said that if G20 leaders want to limit global warming, end vaccine injustice, and orchestrate economic recovery, they must think and act more multilaterally.
And that doesn't just mean getting to the top. This means - at times - placing broader global interests above narrow national interests. This is a big question because it's often about challenging voters. So far, it seems that not all heads of state or government are ready to do so.
Differences remain over whether much wealthier countries are willing to reduce CO2 emissions, provide developing countries with more Covid vaccines, and stabilize volatile energy prices. The G20 Summit will have a lot to say. However, the decisive factor in his actions, especially about climate change, will determine the success or failure of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.
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