Uphill negotiations on climate and energy at the G20 in Naples

by time news

Time.news – Negotiation stalled at the G20 in Naples. On the second day of work, efforts are being made to find an agreement on climate and energy, the most difficult issues. But the negotiations have stalled on the acceleration of decarbonization and on the grounding of renewables, ambitious goals that the Italian presidency is aiming for with the US side.

Cingolani and Kerry median to unlock the negotiation

The Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, and the US special envoy for the climate, John Kerry, are trying to mediate to unblock the situation. The minister met the delegations precisely to pave the way and try to arrive at a synthesis by the end of the day. But the path is uphill, as it was foretold. On the one hand there are the USA and Europe, on the other the emerging countries, with China and Russia.

Italy and the United States are working together to put in place a common strategy to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial levels in this decade. But there are countries that do not want to comply with such stringent constraints on combating climate change and decarbonisation.

The first day of work yesterday produced a joint declaration on environmental issues, the result of the work carried out by the delegations for months. But it was the easiest finish line to cross. The goal is to arrive at a shared document even today but it is not certain that we will succeed. Cingolani and Kerry are working on the latest draft of the declaration which will need to be approved.

The AIE, cities responsible for 70% of global carbon emissions

The International Energy Agency, at the request of the Italian presidency of the G20, developed and presented a report (‘Empowering Cities for a Net Zero Future’) that examines just how cities can be the key to a net zero emissions future, as digitalisation opens up a number of new opportunities. Cities, according to the report, today they represent over 50% of the planet’s population, 80% of its economic production, two thirds of global energy consumption and over 70% of annual global carbon emissions. By 2050, over 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, with a massive growth in demand for urban energy infrastructure.

And the Agency reiterates its warning: As economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, CO2 emissions are rebounding rapidly. “The increase in global CO2 linked to energy in 2021 – underlines the AIE – could be the second largest in recorded history. Cities are the economic engine of the world, and the solutions they seek can transform the energy landscape by creating new synergies to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, improve resilience and provide a cleaner prosperous future for us all. Strong international cooperation and collaboration can play a crucial role in this regard, particularly through emerging knowledge-sharing networks spanning cities and countries. ”

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