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G20 Summits • 2021 Rome Summit | Road to the 2021 Rome Summit
G20 Environment Ministers | G20 Energy Ministers

Presidency Statement towards the G20 Leaders Summit

G20 Energy and Climate Ministerial Meeting, Naples, July 23, 2021
[pdf]

After long discussions, the G20 agreed on the first-ever G20 Joint Energy and Climate Communiqué. The document encompasses 58 actions which are unanimously considered by all members as necessary to boost the effective and full implementation of the goals of the Paris Agreement and to pursue a sustainable energy transition at global level in the next years.

Two actions remained open despite a prolonged and tireless discussion:

(1) to accelerate decarbonisation in the next decade by setting a date to phase out unabated coal.
(2) to stop international public financing of unabated coal power generation and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies within a certain date.

Despite the large majority of the G20 agreed on the urgency of those two actions, unanimous consensus could not be reached at this time.

In more detail, the large majority of members acknowledged that unabated coal power plants and their international public funding are incompatible with the transition to net-zero emissions. The discussion about the need to accelerate emissions reduction in the power sector was supported by most members. Similarly broad support was given to the idea of giving a central role to the Multilateral Development Banks to accelerate all clean energy-transitions.

G20 Members also discussed inefficient fossil fuels subsidies. Also in this case the large majority of members agreed on the need of a credible timeline establishing phase out and rationalization of inefficient fossil fuels and to align financial flows to the Paris Agreement.

In general all Members underlined the urgency to increase the efforts to reduce climate change within this decade. This is particularly important this year in view of the COP26, under the UK's presidency and Italy's co-presidency. We believe that, while taking into account the national circumstances of the G20 partners, the phase out of coal and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies for achieving net-zero emissions and keeping 1.5°C within reach, deserves a further discussion. For this reason Italy will forward the discussion of actions (1) and (2) to the G20 Leaders Summit, to be held in Rome on October, 30th-31st 2021.

Statement from the Republic of India

We have noted the pledges made by some countries to achieve Net Zero GHG emissions or carbon Neutrality by or around mid century. However, this may not be adequate in view of fast depleting available Carbon space. Therefore and keeping in view, the legitimate need of developing countries to growth, we urge G20 countries to commit to bringing down per Capita emissions to Global average by 2030.

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Source: Official website of the Italian G20 Presidency