Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion organization demonstrate in Rome. The G20 countries have only agreed on a minimum compromise.
(Photo: dpa)
It did not turn out to be the hoped-for signal. At their summit in Rome, the heads of state and government of the most important industrialized and emerging countries (G20) only agreed on one formula compromise that is typical for this group.
They repeat the goal of the Paris Agreement on climate protection to limit global warming to a maximum of two degrees, better 1.5 degrees. A clear focus on 1.5 degrees was as unsuccessful as the agreement on a date for climate neutrality.
Among other things, the Executive Chancellor Angela Merkel and her European colleagues insisted on this. Immediately before the start of the World Climate Conference in Glasgow, they wanted to put pressure on negotiations with the G20 declaration. That didn’t work. In this respect, the communiqué from Rome puts a damper on ambitious climate protection, although it does not come as a surprise.
Only once in its history has the G20 had a moment of genuine unity: When the group met for the first time at the level of heads of state and government in 2008, they wanted to work together to avert a meltdown in the global financial system and the global economy.
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But a short time after this mission was accomplished, conflicting interests dominated, whether on the issue of regulation or, now, on climate protection. The group to which China, Russia and Saudi Arabia also belong, in addition to EU countries and the USA, is too diverse.
Europeans also have yet to achieve their goals
The idea that China or Russia would bring their target dates for climate neutrality forward from 2060 to the desired European date of 2050 was extremely optimistic. And so the G20 final declaration says the goal is “by or around the middle of the century”. This is vague enough for everyone to agree.
Of course one would have wished for more. On the other hand: It was not long ago that Donald Trump sat as US President in the G20 round and it was questionable whether the fight against climate change would make it into the communiqué at all. In contrast, the messages from Rome now sound downright ambitious.
And anyway: calling out goals is one thing. It is a different matter to achieve these goals. The Europeans are particularly good at the first discipline. They also owe this proof that they succeed in the second.
More: G20 states only agree on minimal consensus for climate protection – “Humanity is 1: 5 behind”