See this update from June 27, 2022.
By Mathew Carr
May 27, 2022 — The G7 published four documents that entail quite a detailed short-and-medium term plan to cut global emissions, transition big industry, form a climate club, protect the oceans, create a circular economy and boost adaptation finance.
It’s still largely talk, rather than real action.
Most responsible for the climate crisis and under deep pressure from the rest of the world, the G7 is inviting the G20 and the rest of the world to join into its plan, while boosting help for the poor.
See the documents, republished and linked below, by Germany, which holds the rotating G7 presdiency.
Here are some excerpts:
The G7 listed these “Enabling conditions” to transition heavy industry:
International co-operation and creating a level playing field
- – International carbon markets
- – Sectoral agreements
- – Carbon border adjustments
- – Climate clubs and alliances
- – Consumption-based emissions policy
- – International technology co-development and capacity building
- – International best practice sharing
- – International advance market commitments Infrastructure planning and development
- – Co-ordinated planning of infrastructure for low emission electricity and hydrogen production and distribution, for CO2 transport and storage, and for improved end-of-life material collection, sorting and recycling
- – Public financing for infrastructure
- – Streamlined and accessible permitting tracking progress and improving data
- – Increased data collection and reporting
- – Labelling, standards, certification and definitions for near zero-emission materials production
- – Work towards common international methodologies
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Climate finance: The G7 committed, for the first time, to doubling the provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries by 2025, working together with other countries.
They call on multilateral development banks to present plans for aligning their portfolios with the 1.5°C limit on warming by COP27 and to establish a joint reporting method.
The G7 agree to work on a progress report on implementation of the ten guiding principles for collective action, as identified in last year’s Delivery Plan (on meeting the 100 billion dollar goal).
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On oceans, rather than waiting for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution and without prejudice to ongoing negotiations, the G7 each commited to “without delay, taking ambitious actions that have environmental and socio-economic benefits along the lifecycle of plastics, and we encourage and support partner countries to do the same. Our actions could include, as appropriate: addressing single-use plastics, non-recyclable plastics as well as plastics with harmful additives through measures such as phasing out when possible and reducing their production and consumption; applying tools to internalise attributable costs of plastic pollution ….”
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On the plan to begin developing a global circular economy by 2025:
The G7 will (warning — mind the wishy washy):
- Deepen our exchange on how resource efficiency and circular economy can be used to achieve our environmental goals,
- Continue and deepen the exchange within the G7 on methodologies and data used to develop and track progress towards relevant national or regional goals, indicators and targets,
- Deepen the exchange on eco-design of products with a life-cycle perspective, with a view to reducing the environmental impact and increasing, inter alia, resource efficiency, durability, reusability, reparability and recyclability, as well as on value retention processes, waste prevention, renewable materials, material substitution and the uptake of recycled content,
- Promote relevant research and development on, and facilitate the cross-sectoral application of, resource-efficient technologies and measures, e.g. regarding lightweighting or biobased solutions, taking into account the need for a net- positive environmental outcome,
- Exchange on sustainable and circular business models, such as product-as-a- service,
- Exchange on and promote measures and standards on product environmental information, including for the prevention of greenwashing and false green claims, and on best practices relating to sharing relevant product environmental information along value chains,
- Deepen the exchange on Green Public Procurement (GPP) and identify effective ways to leverage GPP for the transition to a more resource-efficient and circular economy, notably by giving preference to the most sustainable products,
- Share relevant information and promote sustainable material management and circularity at the international level,
- Promote integrated solutions with co-benefits for sustainable development, biodiversity protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation such as Nature-based Solutions.
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The key outcomes of the meeting were set out in a 39 page joint communiqué. The communiqué opens with a clear declaration of solidarity with Ukraine. The communiqué and the three annex documents are available here: www.bmuv.de/en/G7-2022
Meanwhile in Bolivia
