Posted on June, 13 2021
(13 June 2021) - A communiqué from leaders of the seven countries with the world’s largest economies and responsible for 27% of the world’s global emissions, brought political momentum to the demand for accelerated climate action, but was disappointingly short of what is needed. Most commitments were not new.
Commenting on the G7 climate commitments, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF Global Lead Climate & Energy said there was time, before the most important November meeting of the UN climate talks since Paris for the G7 - and other countries - to follow through on the important commitments made, especially keeping the 1.5℃ global goal within reach; achieving net-zero as soon as possible but not later than 2050; committing to increase their 2030 climate targets; ending all international support to coal, and setting a clear date for eliminating fossil fuel subsidies.
“We expect that by November, the G7 members will have stepped up the climate efforts to match the abyss we are staring into. We need politicians to be single-minded about this unprecedented challenge.
“Their announcement on coal is the scale of action we need to see from world leaders. But in the glaring reality of unrelenting climate impacts, affecting mainly the most vulnerable countries and communities, we must be talking about ending exploration and mining of all fossil fuels as well as all fossil fuels subsidies, setting out a bolder date to do so. It must be clear to all now that all fossil fuels subsidies are inefficient.
“We expect the G7 to strengthen their call for, and commitments to, cancelling all fossil fuels subsidies much earlier than 2025. We need to see specific plans to repurpose public finance to boldly accelerate the full deployment of renewable energy and nature-based solutions, all in a just transition to a new, climate- and nature-aligned economy. We are calling for leaders to create a Global Commission for Economy and Nature, acknowledging that economic prosperity is dependent on a healthy and diverse planet.
“Finally, we are talking about the richest countries shaping our future. These countries must follow through with their commitments and do more to provide desperately needed sustainable public finance and to leverage their collective power to mobilize the trillions. They must align all public finance towards a climate- and nature-positive, equitable global economy and firmly regulate private financial flows to that same direction."
See WWF's comments on the G7's nature commitments here.
For further information, contact Mandy Jean Woods mwoods@wwfint.org
