G20 agrees statement on environment, struggles over climate progress
NAPLES, July 22 (Reuters) - Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 rich nations made little progress on Thursday on how to reach climate goals, officials said, with a cluster of countries resisting firm commitments.
Near the sumptuous royal palace in Naples where the meeting took place, thousands of flag-waving marchers protested against what they said was a lack of action on global warming.
The G20 meeting discussed biodiversity and the natural environment on Thursday, while energy and climate change will be on Friday's agenda. Diplomats have struggled for days to find meaningful common ground on both topics.
Italy, which holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, said a communique on the environment had finally been agreed to the "great joy" of all 20 countries after "weeks of negotiations and a two-day non-stop session".
The 7-page document covered numerous subjects including food security, the sustainable use of water, marine litter, sustainable finance and how to better educate the young on climate issues, said Italian Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani.
A summary released by his office was short on concrete policy commitments, but nonetheless Cingolani called the result "particularly ambitious" and said it reflected the aims of Italy's G20 presidency.
"This is the first time these things are clearly written and binding for all the countries that produce 80% of the world's gross domestic product and 85% of its carbon emissions," he told reporters.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/wheres-money-climate-activists-ask-g20-talks-drift-2021-07-22/
