news
Topical
The G7, a group of seven wealthy nations, agreed to accelerate the burning of fossil fuels without measures to curb CO2 emissions. French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher made the announcement at a ministerial meeting in Sapporo, Japan.
AP
April 15, 2023
The agreements concern the phasing out of coal-fired power plants that do not control their own CO2 emissions by capturing and storing greenhouse gases. The G7 could not agree on a deadline for a complete ban on coal, the most polluting fuel. But according to Pannier-Runacher, the group agrees that no new coal-fired power plants should be added. According to the Frenchwoman, the G7 also calls for the rapid installation of solar panels, wind farms or other sources of renewable energy.
A group consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and France consider themselves pioneers in the transition to cleaner energy sources. Agreements between those countries could influence further international negotiations in the fight against climate change.
Review
Members of the G7 have been criticized for still supporting fossil fuel projects without countermeasures to curb emissions. For example, Japanese development banks pledged hundreds of millions of euros to build a gas-fired power plant in Uzbekistan. All of Germany and Italy’s public spending on fossil energy is falling short of their environmental promises, according to environmental group Oil Change International.
According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the G7 is working on a plan to ensure members can get enough of critical raw materials for the energy transition, such as lithium and nickel for batteries. For this they want to release more than 6.7 billion euros.
