G7 commits to long-term decarbonisation as interim climate talks make slow progress

Nations commit to an end to the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century, while slow UN negotiations continue on the road to COP21

The nations that make up the G7 have agreed to limit the increase in global temperatures from climate change to 2°C, and to phase out fossil fuels by the end of the century.

The announcement, made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the end of the 41st meeting of the G7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) at a Bavarian castle in Germany in June, was met with enthusiasm by environmental groups.

Merkel said the group had committed themselves to the need to decarbonise the global economy over the course of this century. A declaration was released after the summit in which the G7 backed the recommendations of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The document says it supports a common vision to reach ‘the upper end of the latest IPCC recommendation of 40 to 70% [greenhouse gas emission] reductions by 2050 compared to 2010.’

To achieve this aim, in the declaration the G7 nations commit to developing national low carbon strategies; as well as welcoming the announcement of post-2020 emissions targets by its members, alongside the submission of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) for the COP21 UN climate conference in Paris later this year. INDCs outline a country’s climate pledge in advance of the conference. The G7 calls upon all countries to submit their INDC well in advance of the conference.

The communication also reiterates pledges from the G7 to contribute to international climate financing mechanisms.

Following the announcement, Jennifer Morgan, Global Director, Global Climate Program at World Resources Institute said: ‘Today, for the first time ever, G7 leaders have rallied behind a long-term goal to decarbonise the global economy. This long-term decarbonisation goal will make it evident to corporations and financial markets that the most lucrative investments will stem from low carbon technologies. This target must also be a key element of an ambitious international climate agreement.’

John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, was more bold, commenting after the meeting that ‘the age of fossil fuels is coming to an end.’

At the time of the G7 meeting, diplomats were also gathered in Bonn, Germany, at a round of UN negotiations on climate change in advance of the COP21 climate meeting in Paris. The main aim of this meeting was to condense a global draft negotiating text down to a workable size for Paris.

Though some reported that important progress was made behind the scenes, the end result was the slight whittling down of the negotiating text from 90 pages to 85 pages. It is expected that this needs to be reduced down to 15 pages in Paris, giving an idea of the scale of the task ahead.

WWF said that in Bonn for the first time all countries signalled that more ambitious emissions cuts are needed in the next five years. And on the shortened text, it said that diplomats must now prepare thoroughly as there is no excuse for avoiding real negotiations in the August session.

In terms of INDC submission updates, Canada submitted its pledge in mid-May in which it proposes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Reactions centred mainly on the fact that the target is a weak effort when looked at using a 1990 baseline.