A one-two punch of diplomatic news shows new global ambition — and just how far off-pace the world remains on meeting Paris Agreement goals.
Catch up fast: The weekend Group of 20 heads of state meeting in India produced a joint pledge to triple renewables capacity by 2030, endorsing a plank of COP28 president-designate Sultan al-Jaber.
Of note: The meeting also formally brought the African Union into the G20, potentially amplifying the group’s voice on climate and energy matters.
Yes, but: The document doesn’t set goals for curbing use of fossil fuels overall beyond (briefly) reiterating support for phasing down coal-fired generation. That brings us to the second piece of news.
What they found: It highlights some progress since the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015, but not remotely enough.
Sobering stat: Via Andrew’s coverage Friday, “[e]missions reductions on the order of 43% globally, compared to 2019 levels, by 2030 are needed in order to have a chance at limiting warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels,” the report finds.
State of play: The report is part of the first “global stocktake” under Paris, meant to inform nations’ pledges and plans through the largely non-binding pact.
What they’re saying: The climate group E3G said the G20 outcome had several strong points but fell short.
The bottom line: The G20 outcome and U.N. report set the table for difficult negotiations at the late-year COP28 summit.
