Angela Merkel is the German PM who has placed climate at the top of the G20 agenda. This comes as the US administration is reversing many environmental policies.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has stated that he would like his country to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. He claims that the international agreement is unfair to the US.
Report to Evaluate Progress
It is vital to ask what kind of climate politics is.
Most other countries will not accept Trump’s “America First” definition of fairness. Most countries are hesitant to increase their ambitions until they feel that other nations are also doing their fair share.
In order to answer this question, the Climate Transparency global consortium has coordinated our third annual report on their progress. This report determines the G20’s progress in moving from fossil fuels towards a low carbon economy.
Thirteen partners compiled the report from eleven countries. It draws from a broad spectrum of information published in four major areas (emissions and policy performance, finance, and decarbonization) and presents it succinctly to allow comparisons between these twenty countries as they transition from dirty “brown economies” to clean “green ones.”
A steamy industrial complex south of Tokyo. Issei Kato/Reuters
The G20 plays a crucial role in international climate action. Together, the member states are responsible for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2014, they accounted for around 82 percent of global energy related carbon dioxide emissions.
All countries have signed the 2015 Paris Agreement, which has long-term temperature goals to keep global warming below 2@C. Ideally, it should be kept to 1.5@C.
The G20 has also proved to be an agile policy forum where soft policy can be made. There is also less concern today than there was in the past about the G20 group seeking to substitute for the multilateral process.
These governments are therefore required to lead the charge in decarbonising and building a future low-carbon.
Transition begins
Climate Transparency reports show that the G20 countries use their energy more efficiently and are using cleaner sources of energy. Their economies also grew, proving economic growth is not dependent on greenhouse gas emissions.
We are now beginning to see the transition from brown to green. The report also shows that the transition has been too slow and is not deep enough to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Greenhouse gases per capita have stopped rising in half of G20 countries. Japan is the notable exception, with rising per capita emissions.
Canada is the country with the highest energy consumption per capita, followed closely by Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the US.
India, Indonesia and South Africa have all low energy consumption per capita (India’s rate per capita is one-eighth of Canada’s). Energy access is the only way to reduce poverty in these countries.
Renewable energy is becoming the most cost-effective option. We found that many G20 nations are still using coal to meet their energy demands, which is the dirtiest fossil fuel.
According to Climate Action Tracker which monitors the progress towards the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals by monitoring , coal should be phased-out globally at the latest by 2050.
In 2013, and 2014, public finance institutions in the G20 countries – such as national and international banks, state-owned banks, and export credit agencies — spent averaging almost US$88 Billion per year for coal, oil, and gas.
Many G20 nations are looking to phase out coal. This includes Canada, France, and the UK. They have all developed a plan for this.
Some G20 countries still rely on coal power as a source of energy. The author provided
Germany, Italy, and Mexico are also considering or taking significant steps to reduce their coal use. India and China are still heavily dependent on coal. However, they have recently reduced their plans and closed a number of coal plants.
The countries at the bottom are Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Turkey. All three have plans to build coal plants.
Subsidies
The G20 countries are still heavily subsidizing fossil fuels despite their repeated commitments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. The G20 countries collectively provided over US$ 230 billion in support for coal, oil, and gas.
Between 2013 and 2014, Japan and China contributed, respectively, $US19 billion a year and $ US17 billion a year to fossil fuels.
Renewable energy is growing. There are 98% of the installed wind power in the world. 97% of solar energy is also present. G20 nations produce 93% of electric cars.
Renewables account for a larger share of electricity in most G20 nations, with the exception of Russia, where renewable energy consumption is down by 20 percent since 2009. China, the Republic of Korea, and the UK all saw strong growth.
In general, G20 countries offer attractive investment opportunities in renewable energy, particularly China, France, and Germany – though the UK has abandoned its policy of supporting renewables.
