G-20 negotiators face climate change hurdle

Source– The post is based on the article “G-20 negotiators face climate change hurdle” published in “The Hindu” on 7th August 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Global groupings and agreements

News– G-20 negotiators are now worried about reaching a consensus over climate change issues ahead of the leaders’ summit in September.

Why are G20 negotiators worried?

The concerns have heightened following two ministerial meetings of the G-20 focused on energy transitions, the environment, and climate in July.

These meetings failed to reach a consensus on crucial matters such as emission targets, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and climate finance.

These differences spilled over into virtual Sherpa negotiations, where the initial version of the Leaders’ Declaration was being discussed last week.

As a result, the Chairman’s Summary and Outcome documents included several sections labeled as “non-agreed paragraphs” among G-20 members.

What are the contentious issues between G-20 countries related to climate change?

There is division between developed countries and the developing world concerning climate goals and climate finance.

A major point of contention is the wording related to “phasing out” fossil fuels. It faced strong opposition from countries like India and Saudi Arabia. These countries preferred the term “phasing down” instead.

There are significant differences among members regarding global emissions targets.

There were disagreements on the target of peaking emissions by 2025 and achieving a 60% reduction in emissions by 2035 in comparison to 2019 levels. Developing countries including India did not commit to these targets.

Another contentious matter was related to the lack of funding from developed countries, such as the U.S. and Australia. They had promised to provide $100 billion annually starting from 2020.

The Chairman’s Summary and Outcome document released in Chennai revealed further disagreements among G-20 members.

One point of contention was the scope of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group’s mandate to discuss energy issues, given the existence of a separate Energy Transition Working Group.

Additionally, there were differing views on energy transitions and how to incorporate them into the document.