The Group of Seven Energy and Environment Ministers met with the aim of stopping new coal investments or the kind of firm commitments that climate advocates say are necessary to limit global warming.
The seven most advanced economies see themselves as leaders in global efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The group’s communiqué sets the tone for negotiations around energy and climate among the Group of 20 countries and at the UN climate summit — COP28 — in Dubai in November.
They also pledged to work to clean up emissions from power generation and reduce vehicle emissions by 2035 and open the door to new investments in natural gas and the sustainable use of fossil fuels.
But activists say that the new statement undermines at least one previous commitment. French Energy Minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, revealed that the new language was more stringent than had been originally proposed.
In addition to the statement, the group also said that it plans to increase solar power capacity to more than 1,000 gigawatts and offshore wind generation to 150 gigawatts across its constituents by the end of the decade.
However, the Nikkei reports that those numbers will double solar power and increase offshore wind capacity sevenfold across the group.
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Pannier-Runacher said that a highlight of this year’s negotiations will be an agreement to accelerate the phasing out of the continued use of fossil fuels. However, the group was unable to reach an agreement to issue coal by a specific date.
The communiqué also makes clear that technologies such as ammonia and hydrogen co-firing should be limited to sectors that cannot reduce emissions in other ways. The Group recognizes the opportunity to collectively reduce vehicle emissions by at least 50% by 2035 without committing to such reductions.
The weekend meeting itself is a precursor to the annual G-7 summit for world leaders, which Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will host in Hiroshima next month.
source: financialpost.com
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