G20 in final push to reach a climate agreement at the Rome summit

The leaders of the richest economies in the world will spend Sunday trying to reach a meaningful agreement on the prevention of climate change.

The G20 hopes to make progress ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, which begins on Sunday.

However, they have yet to announce firm new commitments to reduce carbon emissions in the coming years.

The G20 group, made up of 19 countries and the European Union, accounts for 80% of world emissions.

The first day of the summit, which was held in Rome, Italy, focused on Covid and the economy, with an agreement on a global tax rate that will see the profits of large companies taxed at least 15%.

It follows concern that multinational corporations are redirecting their profits through low-tax jurisdictions.

Sunday is devoted to climate discussions, with British Prince Charles expected to address the group. It is expected to urge leaders to take urgent action for the sake of future generations.

However, reaching agreement on how best to reduce carbon emissions – and stop climate change from worsening – is proving to be more difficult.

After years of chatter, the planet is now at least 1.1 ° C warmer than its pre-industrial level. Climate scientists want warming to be limited to 1.5 ° C to prevent climate catastrophe.

There were already concerns that reaching an agreement would not be easy, as Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the leaders who did not show up in person. China is the largest polluter in the world, although, per person, its emissions are about half that of the United States.

Activists are disappointed with what is currently under discussion. The Reuters news agency suggested that the agreement in the latest draft release did not tighten the language used in previous versions and was even softened in some parts.

Oscar Soria, of the Avaaz activist network, told the agency there was “little sense of urgency” coming from the group, adding: “There is no more time for vague wish lists, we need concrete commitments and actions.”

However, others wanted to paint the G20 as a stepping stone to COP26, which will see delegates from around 200 countries come together to discuss reducing carbon emissions.

A US official told reporters that the G20 aimed to “help build momentum” before leaders headed to Glasgow later on Sunday, while French President Emmanuel Macron told Journal du Dimanche that “it never comes. written anything before a policeman “.

“Let’s not forget that in Paris, in 2015, nothing was decided in advance,” he told the weekly.

Read more about the COP26 Summit here.