United States slams virtual attendance by Russia, China leaders
Leaders at the G20 Summit in Rome. Photo: @g20org / Twitter Pressure is growing on the 26th Conference of Parties (CoP 26) that began in Glasgow November 1, 2021 to make headway after little progress was achieved at the G20 Summit in Rome.
Leaders of the world’s largest economies had met in Rome for the G20 Summit October 30-31. The summit’s goal was to lay the groundwork for discussions at CoP26.
The governments of several countries will work at Glasgow towards limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The G20 — which includes 19 countries and the European Union — accounts for 80 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product, 60 per cent of the world’s population and about 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
However, while the bloc includes several countries vulnerable to climate change, it excludes a number of island nations and features only one African country. As a result, these countries’ needs will have to be voiced even louder at CoP26.
The final statement by G20 leaders only affirmed old goals. It mentioned:
We (countries) reaffirm our commitment to the full and effective implementation of the UNFCCC and of the Paris Agreement, taking action across mitigation, adaptation and finance during this critical decade, on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge, reflecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
The UNFCCC stands for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement was adopted at the Paris CoP in 2015.
The G20 statement did not set a date on long-term strategies like net zero. It, instead, chose to commit to “long-term strategies that set out clear and predictable pathways consistent with the achievement of a balance between anthropogenic emissions and removal by sinks by or around mid-century.”
The statement committed “to put an end to the provision of international public finance for new unabated coal power generation abroad by the end of 2021.” However, it did not specify plans for domestic coal production and use.
While I welcome the #G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled — but at least they are not buried. Onwards to #COP26 in Glasgow to keep the goal of 1.5 degrees alive and to implement promises on finance and adaptation for people & planet. pic.twitter.com/c1nhIDbA8m
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 31, 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin attended the summit virtually. This, and their lack of more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions led United States President Joe Biden to comment that the two countries “basically didn’t show up” on climate action.
“If the G20 was a dress rehearsal for CoP 26, then world leaders fluffed their lines,” Jennifer Morgan of non-profit Greenpeace International, said.
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