While the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit acknowledged the importance of tackling climate change and committed to collaborative efforts, some experts argue the summit fell short of delivering a strong stance and concrete plans for phasing out fossil fuels.
Climate action and climate finance were key focal points at this week’s summit in Brazil, where Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged developed nations to accelerate their timelines for achieving net zero emissions, aiming for targets 5-10 years earlier.
This followed calls by the COP29 presidency in Baku, Azerbaijan, urging the G20 to provide clear mandates for climate action as COP29 negotiators work through disagreements to finalise the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) this week. The NCQG is the funding package designed to enable developed countries to assist developing countries.
During a media briefing at COP29, reflecting on Brazil’s leadership in shaping G20 negotiations over the past year and the expectations for the conclusion of the Leaders’ Summit, Shreeshan Venkatesh from Climate Action Network International (CAN) criticised the G20 for its approach, emphasising that although there was a reference to the global stocktake outcome, the G20 conveniently “cherry-picked” targets that were already integrated in National Determined Contributions (NDCs) — “not towards the targets that we actually want to see, especially on the fossil fuels”.
“There is no mention of transitioning away from fossil fuels, and that would have been a really important signal at the G20 to then, also, replicate at COP29 over here,” she said.
Senior consultant on climate change policy, Enrique Maurtua Konstantinidis said the absence of any mention of “fossil fuels” was “unfortunate.” He stressed: “It is important to recognise that the energy transition is no longer something that we can hope for; it is actually happening.”
Da Silva reminded the group of countries that the G20 was responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. In their declaration, the G20 countries emphasised the urgent need for rapid and sustained greenhouse gas reductions to meet the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.
Under the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” the G20 committed to scaling up climate finance, advancing energy transitions, and supporting developing nations with low-cost financing.
“By recognizing the crucial role of the G20, the Brazilian presidency launched the Task Force for Global Mobilisation against Climate Change,” Da Silva said.
“For the first time, we have brought together ministers of finance, environment and climate, foreign affairs, and central bank presidents to discuss how to tackle the climate challenge.”
Maiara Folly from Plataforma Cipó, an independent, non-profit research institute based in Brazil, acknowledged the significant focus on climate within the G20 agenda but said they were rehashing old information.
“It's important to highlight the importance of the process. It was the first time that the Sherpa and the Finance tracks were meeting regularly to disclose the climate agenda. Those groups had adopted different terminologies and operated differently. So in terms of process, it was important that the G20, as a whole, came together towards the climate agenda,” she said.
“However, when we look at the declaration, there was, to a large extent, just a reiteration of old commitments.”
She said that when it comes to clear political signals for the implementation of the commitments, “what we achieved was below the expectation”.
SA is set to assume the G20 presidency on December 1, continuing discussions on climate action and sustainable development. The next summit is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg in 2025.
• Business Day’s COP29 coverage has been made possible by the Meliore Foundation, which has covered flight and accommodation costs
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