Japan Climate Talks: G7 Faces Pressure on Fossil Fuels, Emissions

 

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 SAPPORO: G7 allies convened for two days of climate talks in northern Japan to discuss fossil fuel commitments and to set an example for major economies like China. Climate and environment ministers from the leading developed countries faced pressure to show progress on their pledges to shift away from coal and natural gas at home and abroad. Campaigners warned against backsliding on these commitments, but a leaked third draft of the statement to be issued on Sunday in Sapporo has provided some relief for experts who were concerned about a weak endorsement of the need for overseas gas investments.

The G7 discussions were expected to be difficult, as the countries were urged to move away from coal and natural gas investments. The goal is to reduce emissions and limit global warming. Campaigners and experts hoped that the G7 leaders would make significant progress to combat climate change, which would influence other major economies like China to do the same.

  

The Group of Seven (G7) allies gathered for a two-day meeting in Sapporo, Japan, to discuss key fossil fuel commitments and show progress on climate action. The leading developed countries’ climate and environment ministers were under pressure to maintain pledges to shift away from coal and natural gas, both at home and abroad. A leaked third draft of a statement, to be released on Sunday, revealed that some experts had feared a mere endorsement of the need for overseas gas investments. However, the draft statement called for gas demand reduction and emphasised the need to phase out fossil fuels in electricity systems.

Following the major UN climate report that warned about 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming in about a decade, the G7 ministers wanted to display unity and a commitment to urgent action. While divisions arose among the bloc, as the energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine war squeezed countries such as Japan, Germany and the US, French energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher hailed Saturday’s talks as productive. She applauded the “significant progress” in the joint statement, which sent “positive signals for the upcoming G20 and the upcoming COP” in Delhi and Dubai.

The latest draft statement urges nations to take action in the “critical decade” ahead and to peak global greenhouse emissions by 2025 at the latest. The draft emphasises the urgency of slashing global emissions by 60% by 2035 from 2019 levels, as recommended by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The language on fossil fuels was more contentious, with some members proposing new concrete targets while others, including this year’s G7 president Japan and the US, pushing for a more conservative line.

Ministers pledged at the last G7 climate ministerial in Germany to end new direct public support in 2022 for overseas fossil fuel projects that do not offset emissions. However, this commitment was weakened a month later when G7 leaders said the “exceptional circumstances” of Russia’s war in Ukraine made gas investments “appropriate as a temporary response”. While Japan sought to solidify this exception, the latest draft statement calls for “gas demand reduction” and sets multiple parameters around such investments. Coal was another hotly debated topic, with varying levels of ambition proposed by Japan, the US, and Britain on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels in electricity systems.

Overall, the G7 meeting resulted in a draft statement that included progress on the need to phase out fossil fuels, but also highlighted the divisions within the bloc regarding concrete targets for action. While France and Britain advocated for more aggressive climate action, Japan and the US took a more cautious approach, highlighting the difficulties faced by their economies. The language on gas investments was also a point of contention, with the draft statement calling for “gas demand reduction” rather than outright opposition to new gas investments.  (Courtesy: AFP and Dawn.pk)