Less than half of G20 countries have net-zero laws in place
Photo: Twitter@narendramodi The G20 countries pledged to work towards financing developing countries with their green initiatives in the final declaration of the summit released in New Delhi on September 9, 2023.
While the G20’s commitment to renewable energy targets is commendable, the group has not addressed enough the root cause of the climate crisis — fossil fuels, according to experts.
Some experts called the promises inadequate in light of the recently issued UN Global Stocktake report, which demonstrated countries are falling well short of achieving global climate goals.
The G20 group accounts for 85 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product and has the resources and capacity required for decarbonisation globally but is not doing enough, stated Climate Group, an international non-profit.
Also read: G20 Summit: New Delhi Leaders' Declaration adopted with consensus on various environmental goals
Less than half of G20 nations have net-zero laws in place, while just one has a plan to switch to 100 per cent renewables by 2035, said Climate Group in a statement issued on September 9, 2023.
The group urged G20 to plan and commit to the concrete steps required for energy transition. This includes — setting and reaching ambitious targets, breaking down barriers and regulations that prevent renewables from being rolled out and ensuring the right infrastructure is in place.
“Fossil fuels” as a term is not mentioned in the declaration, pointed out Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network. This shows dangerous backsliding despite the recent devastating climate impacts experienced across the world and the latest UN assessment showing a glaring gap in the delivery of the Paris Agreement goals, said Tasneem.
Moreover, the declaration failed to mention timelines for the phaseout of fossil fuels.
“While the declaration refers to ‘pursuing and encouraging efforts to triple renewable energy capacity through existing targets and policies’, the timeline for the phase-out of fossil fuels was missing, said Sanjay Vashist, director of Climate Action Network South Asia.
However, it must be noted that the G20 countries agreed to increase the efforts to implement the commitment made in 2009 in Pittsburgh to phase out and rationalise inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption.
The group will provide targeted support for the poorest and the most vulnerable, said the declaration.
The G20’s present commitments to reduce carbon emissions will result in their per capita greenhouse gas emissions remaining roughly double what is required to prevent catastrophic effects in 2030, flagged Oxfam in an analysis released September 7, 2023, ahead of the G20 summit.
However, the G20 leaders have left the summit with no changes to the original commitments to keep their emissions at levels that are at least double what they ought to be by 2030, said Oxfam reacting to the declaration.
The declaration is inadequate in light of the recently issued UN Global Stocktake Report, which demonstrates that countries are falling well short of achieving global climate goals, stated Rachel Cleetus, policy director of the Climate and Energy Program.
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