Environment
G7 want to get out of coal and fight for clean water
Wind turbines turn in front of the backdrop of the Schkopau brown coal power plant west of Halle (Saale). photo
© Jan Woitas/dpa
The 1.5 degree target is not yet off the table. But more needs to be done to limit global temperature rises. The G7 agrees on this – and would like to set a good example.
The leading western industrial nations (G7) want to fight for more effective climate protection worldwide. They themselves are committed to phasing out coal-fired power generation in the first half of the 2030s, as stated in the final communiqué of a G7 ministerial meeting in Italy is detained. They also want to help triple global renewable energy generation capacity by 2030. Emissions of methane gas, which is particularly harmful to the climate, are to be drastically reduced worldwide. They want to tackle the global water crisis with a “G7 water coalition”.
The G7 ministers responsible for climate, energy and the environment met on Monday and Tuesday in the Venaria Reale Palace on the outskirts of Turin. Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Economics State Secretary Anja Hajduk (both Greens) were there from Germany. Italy holds the G7 presidency this year.
In their final declaration, the G7 also addressed the 1.5 degree target from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, according to which global warming should be limited to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is considered difficult to achieve. The G7 expressed “deep concern” that there is a large gap between the necessary and actual reductions in emissions.
Global agreement against plastic waste
The G7 gives every country the freedom to decide on the controversial topic of nuclear energy. “We recognize that for those countries that choose to use it, nuclear energy will play a role in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, while other countries will choose other energy sources to achieve these goals,” the statement said . Of the G7 countries, only Germany and Italy do not use nuclear energy. The Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin is a supporter of nuclear power, but Italy’s return to nuclear power is considered very unlikely.
The G7 wants to use a “water coalition” to address the global water crisis, which is being exacerbated by climate change. The coalition wants to develop “effective, efficient, inclusive and equitable strategies” to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
The G7 also supports UN efforts for a global agreement against plastic waste. “As industrialized countries, we have a special obligation to contain the effects of the massive pollution crisis,” Lemke said on Tuesday. She also welcomed the founding of the water coalition. “We need common strategies and goals to protect our global water supplies,” she said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, there were anti-G7 protests in Italy’s fourth largest city on Monday evening. According to the Ansa news agency, demonstrators tried to get to the participants’ quarters; the police initially held them back with shields and then used tear gas, water cannons and clubs. It was said that eggs, bottles and smoke objects were thrown at the law enforcement officers from among the demonstrators.