The G20 ministers responsible for climate, energy and environment failed to reach a consensus on more ambitious climate goals after talks in Italy on Friday.
Following the discussions in Naples, several countries rejected the idea of committing to keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), said Roberto Cingolani, the Italian Minister for Ecological Transition.
The countries instead only pledged to aim for the less ambitious target in the Paris Climate Agreement of keeping the increase in the Earth’s temperature to well below 2 degrees, while continuing efforts to reduce it to 1.5 degrees, a joint declaration said.
Global warming has already seen a 1.2-degree increase compared to pre-industrial times, with fatal climate consequences, such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods.
Environmental disasters and global warming
Cingolani told reporters that concern over last week’s deadly floods in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was at the forefront of discussions during the two days of negotiations in southern Italy. Germany and the European Union are both G20 members.
“All began by offering condolences,” Cingolani said. Such natural disasters are “changing consciences.”
Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable, while calling for urgent action.
Between them, the G20 countries account for some 80% of the world’s gross domestic product and some 60% of the planet’s population.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Fierce flash floods in Europe
Unprecedented flooding — caused by two months’ worth of rainfall in two days — has resulted in devastating damage in western Europe, leaving at least 209 people dead in Germany and Belgium. Narrow valley streams swelled into raging floods in the space of hours, wiping out centuries-old communities. Rebuilding the ruined homes, businesses and infrastructure is expected to cost billions of euros.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Extreme rainy seasons
Record floods have also hit parts of India and China, overwhelming dams and drains and flooding the subway system in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. Dozens of people have died. The downpours have been particularly heavy, even for the rainy season. Scientists have predicted that climate change will lead to more frequent and intense rainfall — warmer air holds more water, creating more rain.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Heat records in the US, Canada
Intense heat is also becoming more common, as seen in late June in the US states of Washington and Oregon and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Scorching temperatures under a “heat dome,” hot air trapped for days by high pressure fronts, caused hundreds of heat-related deaths. The village of Lytton recorded a high of 49.6 Celsius (121 Fahrenheit) — and burned to the ground the next day.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Wildfires sparking thunderstorms
The heat wave may be over but dry conditions are fueling one of the region’s most intense wildfire seasons. Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, which has burned an area the size of Los Angeles in just two weeks, is so big it’s creating its own weather and sending smoke all the way to New York. A recent study said the weather conditions would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
Amazon nearing a ‘tipping point’?
To the south, central Brazil is suffering its worst drought 100 years, increasing the risk of fires and further deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Researchers recently reported that a large swath of the southeastern Amazon has flipped from absorbing to emitting planet-warming CO2 emissions, pushing the rainforest closer to a “tipping point.”
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
‘On the verge of starvation’
After years of unrelenting drought, more than 1.14 million people in Madagascar are food-insecure, with some now forced to eat raw cactus, wild leaves and locusts in famine-like conditions. With the absence of natural disaster, crop failure or political conflict, the dire situation in the southeastern African nation is said to be first famine in modern history caused solely by climate change.
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In pictures: Deadly extreme weather shocks the world
More people fleeing natural disasters
The number of people fleeing conflict and natural disasters hit a 10-year high in 2020, with a record 55 million people relocating within their own country. That’s in addition to some 26 million people who fled across borders. A joint report released by refugee monitors in May found that three-quarters of the internally displaced were victims of extreme weather — and that number is likely to grow.
Author: Martin Kuebler
jsi/mm (AP, dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/g20-ministers-fail-to-agree-tougher-climate-goals/a-58620631?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
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