Big ambitions
May 16, 2023
By Aaron Clark
G-7 Energy Ministers Face Climate Fight With Japan
as Host
Skepticism remains
“I don’t think carbon capture is going to get us there. What we
really need to see, and I think that countries of the world will bring
that forward, is the end of the fossil fuel era and the build up of
renewables.”
Jennifer Morgan
Germany’s climate envoy
Japan’s reluctance to move away from carbon-intensive
energy sources was reflected in documents circulated ahead of the G-7
energy and environment ministers summit.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ Communiqué
1. We, the G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment,
met on 26th–27th May 2022 in Berlin to address the multiple crises
that are endangering our climate and environment and causing severe
impacts on the planet, lives and livelihoods, and the next
generations’ needs around the world.
2. We condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s unjustifiable,
unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the
appalling atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in the
sovereign territory of Ukraine. We stand united against Russia’s
violation of the UN Charter and other fundamental principles of
international law and are steadfast in our solidarity with and our
support for Ukraine, including for emergency responses to keep the
critical infrastructure running. Russia’s war of aggression is causing
tragic human suffering, global economic and social disruptions, and
severe environmental harm. We stand ready to cooperate with Ukraine on
green reconstruction and recovery. We are deeply concerned about the
devastating impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,
which has significantly exacerbated existing challenges, leading to
shortages and disruptions in food and energy systems and steep price
rises in commodity markets, especially including energy and global
food markets. This heavily affects the lives of people around the
world and increases their humanitarian and protection needs. We are
determined to accelerate a coordinated multilateral response to
preserve global food and energy security and stand by our most
vulnerable partners in this respect.
3. We remain steadfast in our deep commitment to the
rules-based international order that is central to protecting open,
free and inclusive societies. We are determined to live up to our
joint responsibility to counter the existential threats caused by the
climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution.
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I. Joint Action: Advancing the Climate, Energy and Environment
Agenda Together
4. Tackling the triple global crisis: We express our deep
concern regarding the triple global crisis of climate change,
biodiversity loss and pollution, recognising that these challenges are
inextricably interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and that they are
driven largely by human activity and by unsustainable patterns of
consumption and production. We therefore commit to immediate, short-
and medium-term action in this critical decade, leveraging the
synergies between climate and biodiversity action, the clean energy
transition and environmental protection, which should inform long-term
transformative change. We call on the Intergovernmental Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other relevant international
science and policy panels to intensify their cooperation in this
regard. We recognise the opportunities offered by the transition to a
more resource-efficient and circular economy. We recognise the
necessity of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as
a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity in its entirety and
we will work towards a successful outcome at the Future Summit in 2023
as an important milestone. We highlight that the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, the Rio Conventions, the Paris Agreement and
the decisions thereunder, including the Glasgow Climate Pact, the
urgently needed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, other
existing international instruments that address water and pollution,
including relevant multilateral agreements on air, chemicals, and
waste, and negotiations of international legally binding instruments
on plastic pollution as well as on marine biological diversity of
areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), among others, advance our
collective efforts to address global environmental challenges. We are
determined to urgently step up their implementation to achieve the
goals anchored in these agreements. We emphasise the need for an
urgent response in line with the latest scientific findings and an
effective and integrated approach to these crises, which transform
lives, health, the economy and all sectors of society. We highlight
the message from the latest report of the IPCC that the window of
opportunity is rapidly closing to keep a limit of 1.5°C temperature
rise within reach and secure a liveable and sustainable future for
all. We underscore with concern its findings that current policies put
the world on track to reach median global warming of 3.2°C by 2100,
with irreversible and lasting impacts on nature and people. We also
highlight with concern the findings of the IPBES, indicating that
around 1 million species are threatened by extinction, many within
decades, and that biodiversity is declining and ecosystems are
degrading faster than at any time in human history. We stress the
urgency of adopting a new global biodiversity framework in 2022 and
its prompt and swift implementation for halting and reversing
biodiversity loss by 2030. We note with deep concern, and reaffirm our
commitment to tackling, the disproportionate impacts of climate change
and biodiversity loss on those already facing poverty, gender and
social inequalities. Climate change and pollution are key drivers of
biodiversity loss, and at the same time, combating pollution,
desertification, land and ocean degradation and water scarcity and
protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity are crucial for
addressing climate change.
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5. Mobilising and aligning financial flows: We recognise that
combating climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution requires
mobilising private and public, domestic and international financial
resources. We commit to implementing clear policies and strategies to
align financial flows with these objectives. We are determined to
implement Paris-aligned and nature-positive COVID-19 recovery measures
that do not harm the environment to counter the continuing devastating
impact of the pandemic on all spheres of life. Recognising the
importance of public action, we commit to being at the forefront of a
global effort working towards fully aligning government action with
our climate, energy, biodiversity and other environmental objectives,
including by greening our public procurement in line with SDG 12.7 and
collaborating via the Greening Government Initiative. We note that
sustainable finance policies are pivotal for a green and equitable
recovery and support resilience by mobilising private capital for the
transition, while mitigating climate and nature-related financial
risks. We recognise the key role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)
in mobilising finance for addressing climate change, biodiversity loss
and pollution as well as the importance of mainstreaming these issues
in their policies, investments and operations. We strongly welcome the
Statement made by the MDBs at UNFCCC COP26 and call upon MDBs to
commit to pledging concrete amounts to international biodiversity
finance before CBD COP15.2. We welcome the establishment of the
International Sustainability Standards Board and continue to support
its work program to develop a global baseline for sustainability
reporting standards. Moreover, we support the work of G7 Ministers of
Finance in this regard. We recommit to increasing the
gender-responsiveness and inclusivity of our climate and biodiversity
finance. We welcome the strong eighth replenishment of the Global
Environment Facility as the main financial mechanism that addresses
all aspects of the environment in an integrated and synergistic manner
and as a reflection of our commitment to tackle environmental
challenges.
6. Linking climate and biodiversity: Healthy ecosystems are
more resilient to climate change; they support adaptation and play an
important role in mitigation by sequestering carbon. At the same time,
climate change is a key driver of ecosystem degradation and
biodiversity loss. We stress the importance of protecting, conserving,
sustainably managing and restoring ecosystems for halting and
reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and to keep a 1.5°C limit of
temperature rise within reach. We will demonstrate leadership by
calling for ambitious international action and commit to developing
and implementing ambitious national policies, strategies and
programmes that address climate change and biodiversity loss in an
integrated way and promote mutually beneficial approaches. We
highlight that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) represent a critical lever
for tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, deforestation,
desertification, and degradation of ocean and freshwater, and are
essential for carbon sequestration and for climate change adaptation.
In this regard, NbS
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contribute to our efforts under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
and towards achieving the SDGs and the Rio Conventions. We therefore
commit to step up implementation of NbS, as defined in the recent UNEA
resolution ‘Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Development’, for
tackling the triple crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and
pollution, with significant benefits for adaptation and disaster risk
reduction. We emphasise that social and environmental safeguards are
an integral part of NbS. We are committed to increased resource
mobilisation for NbS, domestically and internationally, in line with
our commitment in the Nature Compact. We will ensure that NbS are
integrated into the implementation of nationally determined
contributions (NDCs), long-term strategies (LTSs), national adaptation
plans (NAPs) or strategies and National Biodiversity Strategies and
Action Plans (NBSAPs) or other strategies and plans and promote their
integration into strategies for sustainable development while
stressing the importance of working with partners. We stress that NbS
cannot replace urgent action on decarbonisation and reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions, but are necessary alongside these efforts in
order to reach our net zero greenhouse gas emissions goals by 2050 at
the latest, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve
the SDGs by 2030.
7. Land use, land-use change and forestry: Land-use change,
including deforestation, and loss of habitats to agriculture as well
as unsustainable agricultural practices are key drivers of
biodiversity loss, land degradation, climate change, increasing water
scarcity, and pollution. It is therefore crucial to align
biodiversity-friendly and naturepositive policies on land-use,
land-use change and forestry with the goals of the Rio Conventions and
the Paris Agreement and the urgently needed Post-2020 Global
Biodiversity Framework to achieve both climate and biodiversity goals.
We welcome the discussions of G7 Agriculture Ministers regarding
carbon sequestration. We restate our commitment to achieving land
degradation neutrality, in line with SDG 15.3. We welcome the outcome
of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification in Abidjan (9th – 20th May 2022) and look
forward to cooperating with other Parties to implement its decisions.
Building on work by the Global Soil Partnership and on the Glasgow
Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the G7 2030 Nature
Compact and its collective commitment to halt and reverse forest loss,
deforestation and land degradation by 2030, we commit to establishing
ambitious national targets and strategies to protect, conserve,
restore and sustainably manage and use terrestrial ecosystems,
especially forests, and to monitoring and reporting on these targets.
We commit to strengthening natural carbon sequestration and reducing
emissions in agriculture, forestry and other land-use sectors while
conserving or protecting biodiversity, including by implementing
sustainable land management practices and supporting efforts towards
substituting emissions-intensive materials with sustainablyproduced
emissions-reducing or climate-neutral and nature-positive alternatives
as well as improved monitoring. Moreover, we highlight the importance
of investment in climate-smart and nature-positive agriculture
innovation to further expand the set of solutions that can address the
multiple challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and
pollution, and enhance food security and contribute to the One Health
approach,
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and we note efforts of initiatives such as the Agriculture Innovation
Mission for Climate in galvanising additional investment.
8. Sustainable and climate resilient water management: We
recognise that, due to climate change, population growth and
unsustainable water practices, freshwater resources are increasingly
deteriorating, thus threatening sustainable development, especially
food security, human health, energy security and gender equality, and
the environment including biodiversity. We are therefore committed to
reducing anthropogenic pressures on freshwater, including groundwater,
supporting sustainable water practices such as integrated water
resources management (IWRM) at all levels, including through
transboundary cooperation, as appropriate, in order to conserve or
protect the multiple services of waterbased ecosystems by enhancing
their resilience, including through NbS. We will assist particularly
vulnerable countries in sustainable and climate-resilient water
management. We will enhance efforts for achieving the water-related
goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda globally, especially through
strengthening synergies and interlinkages with other sectors. For this
purpose, we are committed to contributing to a successful outcome at
the UN 2023 Water Conference.
9. Ocean: We recognise the critical importance of a healthy
global ocean and seas and resilient marine and coastal ecosystems in
our joint effort to address climate change, enhance adaptation and
resilience for coastal and vulnerable communities, halt and reverse
biodiversity loss, improve food and nutrition security and enable
sustainable development and resilient livelihoods, especially for
coastal populations worldwide, ensuring no one is left behind. We
therefore commit to showing global leadership and taking urgent
concrete action to tackle the decline of ocean health including by
combating marine pollution and ending Illegal, Unreported and
Unregulated fishing. We emphasise the urgent need for enhanced ocean
governance, scientific cooperation and bold ocean action within the G7
and beyond and contribute to it through the annexed G7 Ocean Deal.
10. Circular economy and resource efficiency: We highlight the
need to move away from fossil fuel-based, linear economic systems and
towards circular and regenerative systems, which value nature as an
asset and in which resources remain in the economy as long as
possible. Making resource efficiency and circular economy the norm,
including throughout value chains, will foster the competitiveness and
resilience of our economies and communities, while simultaneously
supporting our efforts to achieve deep emission cuts and reach
net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest, halt and
reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and minimise pollution. We recognise
that sustainable consumption and production and sound management of
chemicals and waste are intrinsically linked and mutually
interdependent. Design for durability and longevity, technologies
needed for decarbonisation such as lightweighting technologies, and
sustainable chemistry approaches as well as actions to improve
recyclability, design out waste and reduce food loss and waste are
effective for enhancing resource efficiency.
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11. Clean energy technologies and investments: We recognise the
essential role of clean energy technologies, energy efficiency
solutions and circular economy in achieving sustainable development
and a climate-neutral, nature-positive future, decarbonising global
economic systems, reducing pollution and creating millions of good
paying jobs in the net zero transition. We emphasise that energy
efficiency and net zero energy systems contribute to an affordable,
clean, and sustainable future for all, in particular for vulnerable
consumers and communities, whilst protecting biodiversity. Ensuring
this energy transition requires that public and private investment is
rapidly scaled up. As the world engages in these efforts, certain
foreign direct investments in technologies that are fundamental to
technological leadership can have significant national security
implications as well.
12. Supply chains: Acknowledging the impact that Russia’s war
of aggression against Ukraine has had on global supply chains, we
underline the importance of well-functioning and sustainable global
supply chains and diversification for the resilience of our economies.
Likewise, we recognise that across sectors, securing effective supply
chains is an important means for implementing sustainable shifts in
our production and consumption patterns. We will therefore strive for
openness through ambitious policies to support the diversification,
resilience and sustainability of supply chains. In addition, promoting
the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of supply
chains will enable a transition to a climateneutral, nature-positive,
equitable and resilient economy in a way that protects the
environment, climate and human rights. We highlight the important role
of the private sector in advancing the sustainability and resilience
of supply chains, including through the implementation of transparency
measures such as reporting and traceability as well as through
environmental and human rights due diligence in line with the OECD
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), and commit to
promoting the effective implementation of such measures.
13. Minerals: We are steadfastly committed to accelerating the
clean energy transition, as it is critical for achieving climate
change mitigation based on energy efficiency and a shift to the use of
clean, safe and sustainable energies in our countries and beyond. We
note that the technology deployment requirements associated with this
transition will be underpinned by an unprecedented need for enhanced
resource efficiency, as well as a shift in demand for specific
minerals and metals essential for net-zero emissions energy supply,
with associated impacts on the environment, human health and human
rights that need to be effectively addressed. It is essential that
critical mineral supply chains follow the highest possible
environmental and human rights standards. We encourage investment in
technologies, processes, and methods that expand sustainable
production while improving resource efficiency and circular economy.
We are determined to ensure a sufficiently transparent and sustainable
supply of critical minerals to maintain energy security, and a
competitive and affordable energy market amidst the infrastructure
build-out associated with our net-zero objectives, giving priority to
diversification and to the most responsible forms of producing,
processing and sourcing raw materials, as well as to the promotion of
resource circulation.
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Recognising the work undertaken in other multilateral fora, including
the International Energy Agency, to advance collaboration on the
critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition, the G7 is
exercising leadership on climate, inclusive and green growth and to
foster resilience in global critical mineral supply chains. To achieve
these goals, the G7 will convene discussions to identify how to
enhance collaboration on mineral security to build secure,
responsible, and integrated critical mineral supply chains using
international cooperation‚ policy and financial tools. We will
expedite solutions that will enable the most responsible forms of
producing, processing and manufacturing materials, including efforts
to improve resource efficiency, waste management, conservation and
substitution in the pursuit of supply chain transparency, climate
change mitigation and resilience, sustainability and circularity in
supply chains in line with our international climate, energy,
environmental and economic goals.
14. Sustainable agriculture and food systems: Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine further intensifies pressure on global
agriculture and food systems. As we respond to the immediate crisis,
we will ensure that the measures we take contribute to building
sustainability and resilience in agriculture and food systems,
including fisheries and aquaculture, and to achieving the goals of
international commitments, including the Paris Agreement and the
urgently needed Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework by ensuring the
conservation, protection, sustainable management and restoration of
forests and other terrestrial ecosystems. We note that climate change,
biodiversity loss and land degradation threaten healthy and productive
lands and soils, which constitute the foundation of food systems. We
are convinced that the continued domestic and international
transformation to sustainable food systems, as highlighted at the UN
Food Systems Summit and COP 26, is fundamental for achieving the SDGs
by 2030, global food security and health resilience, as well as our
biodiversity and climate goals. Recognising the close interlinkages
between food systems and human, animal, including wildlife and plant
health, we recommit to strengthening the One Health approach and
working holistically to effectively mitigate the impact of threats,
including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and biodiversity
loss, across all sectors.
15. Inclusive and just transition: We emphasise the importance
of strengthening respect for human rights and leaving no one behind in
the context of our efforts to transition to a net-zero,
nature-positive, resilient, and sustainable future. This includes the
needs of affected workers, businesses and communities. We note that
our economies can contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth and
recognise the importance of a just transition and accordingly seek to
strengthen social protection systems and promote employability and
continuing education, reskilling, and training as well as acknowledge
changes in occupational
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safety and health. We stress the intrinsic value of gender and LGBTQ+
equality, the empowerment of women and girls, disability inclusion,
inter-generational justice and diversity. We champion the active
involvement, consultation, leadership and participation in climate,
energy and environment decision-making from all groups of society,
Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, people with disabilities and
their representative organisations, local communities, low-income
communities and marginalised populations. These groups are critical
for achieving environmental justice and social and economic
sustainability in line with the SDGs. To this end, we aim to deliver
climate, energy and nature policies, plans, finance and actions that
advance gender equality, gender empowerment and social inclusion,
enabling locally-led adaptation and mitigation as well as conservation
and sustainable use activities and addressing the barriers to
accessing climate, energy and nature finance faced by local civil
society organisations, such as women’s rights organisations, and by
Indigenous Peoples. We further reaffirm our commitment to action in
support of the UNFCCC-enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and its
Gender Action Plan, the CBD Gender Action Plans and 2030 Nature
Compact, as well as the Glasgow Climate Pact to increase the full,
meaningful and equal participation of women in climate and
biodiversity action, and to ensure gender-responsive implementation
and means of implementation, which are vital for raising ambition and
achieving climate and biodiversity goals.
II. Environment
(1) Protection, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use
of Biodiversity
16. Global biodiversity goals and targets, notably the Aichi
Targets, have not been fully achieved and biodiversity continues to be
lost at alarming rates, jeopardising sustainable economic development
and human well-being. A transformative Post-2020 Global Biodiversity
Framework with ambitious goals and targets, strengthened
implementation and enhanced planning, monitoring, reporting and review
is crucial to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. As the G7,
we remain committed to a target of conserving or protecting at least
30% of global land and at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 and
will advocate for improved quality, effectiveness and connectivity of
protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).
We are also committed to an ambitious restoration target, in line with
the commitments such as those under the UN Decade on Ecosystem
Restoration, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the
Leaders’ Pledge for Nature. We support the inclusion of Nature-based
Solutions (NbS), as defined in the recent UNEA resolution on
Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Development, in the Post-2020
Global Biodiversity Framework and stress that ambitious global targets
on mainstreaming biodiversity across and within government, society
and all sectors are pivotal. Further, we call for enhanced action on
the sustainable use of biodiversity in the Post-2020 Global
Biodiversity Framework and we commit to adopting an
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target on the sustainable management of biodiversity in key productive
sectors. To meet biodiversity finance needs and building on efforts
already made, we support that the Framework include a target for the
alignment of public and private financial flows with biodiversity
objectives and a holistic approach to resource mobilisation, including
an increase in resources from all sources, a more efficient and
effective use of resources as well as identifying and, for those G7
members Party to the CBD, redirecting or eliminating incentives,
including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity. We advocate for the full
and effective inclusion, consultation and participation of Indigenous
Peoples as well as local communities and respect for and protection of
the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the new framework, and the need to
obtain free, prior and informed consent, as set out in the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Ambitious
targets by themselves, however, will not suffice. To ensure delivery,
we will champion coherent and robust planning, monitoring, reporting
and review mechanisms, with NBSAPs as the main implementation tool, a
robust set of headline indicators to track progress by parties to the
CBD, as well as a global stocktake of ambition and implementation and
a ratcheting up mechanism to increase ambition and implementation over
time.
17. As the G7, we will lead by example and will advocate for a
strong, ambitious and effective Post-2020 Global Biodiversity
Framework, to be adopted at CBD COP 15, and act right away to
implement it. We are going to effectively conserve or protect at least
30% of our own lands, including terrestrial and inland waters, and 30%
of our coastal and marine areas by 2030. We continue to support the UN
Decade on Ecosystem Restoration with ambitious restoration initiatives
in our own countries and bi- and multilateral support of restoration
activities globally. In this context, we welcome and support, on a
voluntary basis, the UN Decade’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund. Committed
to further mainstreaming biodiversity in decision-making, we will
ensure implementation of the System of Environmental Economic
Accounting (SEEA), which includes a Central Framework (CF) and the
recently adopted Ecosystem Accounting (EA), a regular and
institutionalised compilation of accounts, will use related indicators
for policy and decision-making, and provide international support for
further development and implementation of SEEA-EA, including knowledge
and capacity development and system refinements. Those G7 members
party to the CBD will submit revised NBSAPs by CBD COP 16 to reflect
and contribute to the fulfilment of the latter’s ambitious goals and
targets. In these strategies and plans we will build on the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and continue to create meaningful
linkages to the climate agenda, including through NbS.
18. We recognise that increased financial and other resources
from all sources, including private and public, national and
international, are required to achieve our collective ambition to halt
and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and implement the Post-2020
Global Biodiversity Framework. We emphasise the critical role of
private finance in advancing
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transformative changes towards nature-positive economies and call on
private actors to align their financial flows. We will ensure robust
policies and systems are in place to facilitate the alignment of
financial flows with sustainability objectives, including
biodiversity. Aware of our role as major economies, we are committed
to mobilising resources from all sources, including public finance, to
substantially increase our national and international funding for
nature by 2025 including increased funding for Nature-based Solutions,
commensurate with the level of ambition of the new global biodiversity
framework, and ensure our economic and financial decision-making is
aligned with and supports national and international biodiversity
objectives. We encourage countries beyond the G7 that have not already
done so to join us and make commitments on international public
biodiversity finance by COP 15.2 and to dedicate increased resources
to biodiversity domestically. Building on the G7 2030 Nature Compact,
we will ensure our international development assistance does no harm
to nature by 2025, and delivers positive outcomes overall for people,
climate and nature. Acknowledging the harmful effect of some subsidies
on the environment and the need to reform policies with recognised
negative impacts on nature: we commit to lead by example by reviewing
relevant domestic policies as soon as possible, according to national
circumstances, and will take action as appropriate to develop
replacements that are nature positive. In addition, those G7 members
party to the CBD commit to aligning all financial flows with
biodiversity objectives including identifying and redirecting or
eliminating subsidies harmful to biodiversity, at the latest by 2030,
taking initial steps without delay, and call on all countries and
financial institutions, in particular Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs),
to do the same. We strongly support the Global Environment Facility
and its key role in supporting the implementation of the Post-2020
Global Biodiversity Framework, including NBSAP development. We also
commend the successful 8th replenishment of the Global Environment
Facility which includes an increase of funding for biodiversity. We
call on MDBs and Development Finance Institutions to increase and
mobilise their finance for nature and further leverage private
capital. We welcome the MDB Joint Statement on Nature, People and
Planet and call on MDBs to commit to clear and time-bound actions for
its implementation and report on their funding for nature by CBD
COP15. We also invite other MDBs to join and subsequently implement
the Joint Statement. We therefore call on MDBs to ensure alignment of
their portfolios with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the
anticipated Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The Task-Force on
Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) can contribute to the
alignment of financial flows by encouraging and supporting
better-informed decision making on nature-related risks. We therefore
urge market participants to engage in the development of the TNFD’s
framework. We urge governments and regulators to support its
development.
19. NbS are among the actions that play an essential role in
the overall global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
including by effectively and efficiently addressing major social,
economic and environmental challenges. We commit to mainstreaming,
enhancing and scaling up, across all sectors, at home and abroad, the
implementation of NbS,
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to benefit biodiversity and climate. We welcome the UNEA 5.2-
Resolution Nature-based Solutions for supporting sustainable
development. We understand NbS as actions to protect, conserve,
restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial,
freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social,
economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively,
while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services,
and resilience and biodiversity benefits. We emphasise that social and
environmental safeguards - as highlighted by the UNEA 5.2 resolution –
are an integral part of NbS, allowing them to deliver their full
potential effectively, equitably and sustainably and we will ensure
that such safeguards, for example those under the UN system, are
employed. We encourage the use of internationally recognised standards
that ensure quality and sustainability of NbS. When deploying NbS, we
will secure or increase ecosystem integrity and strong benefits for
biodiversity and secure inclusive and equitable governance processes.
In doing so, we will respect and protect the rights of Indigenous
Peoples, as reflected in relevant national law and international
instruments such as UNDRIP, and through consultation and with their
consent, integrate the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples as well as
local communities. We commit to better mainstreaming NbS throughout
our governance, instruments and policies across sectors as well as our
Covid-19 recovery programme.
20. Stressing the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem
services for human, animal, including wildlife, and plant health and
well-being, we will promote and support the implementation of an
integrated One Health approach. This includes reducing pollution and
addressing climate change, as well as a reduction of the risk of
future emergence or reemergence of diseases, zoonotic spill-over,
epidemics or pandemics resulting from biodiversity loss and the
degradation or destruction of natural ecosystems. We welcome the
development of the definition of One Health by the One Health High
Level Expert Panel, endorsed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO)
and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and look forward to
its forthcoming recommendations on monitoring and surveillance of
emerging zoonotic diseases. We also welcome the new Quadripartite
Alliance for One Health composed of FAO, OIE, UNEP and WHO. We support
the adoption of an ambitious and effective CBD Global Action Plan for
Biodiversity and Health at COP 16. Further, we welcome the new
Multi-Partner Trust Fund on Nature for Health aimed at helping
countries target their policies more holistically and supporting
decision-makers and relevant stakeholders in taking measures to help
prevent future pandemics. Finally, building on last year’s commitment
and the recommendations of UNEP’s report on Environmental Dimensions
of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), we remain committed to accumulating
knowledge on AMR in the environment. We will continue to work with our
ministerial colleagues with responsibility for health, food and
farming and medicines regulators, where independent of government, as
appropriate, to develop and agree on international standards.
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(2) Protection, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of
the Ocean
21. We acknowledge a healthy, clean and productive ocean, its
resources and unique ecosystem as essential for all life on earth and
recognise the outstanding global importance of its protection,
conservation, restoration and sustainable use. We realise with great
apprehension that the ocean is under high and still growing
anthropogenic and cumulative pressures. It is with utmost concern that
we recognise the accelerating effects of climate change on the ocean,
including six consecutive years of record-breaking ocean temperatures,
as well as increasing ocean acidification, pollution and biodiversity
loss. We recognise that our efforts fall short of the global
commitments on ocean protection and conservation under the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development with SDG14 and relevant UNEA resolutions,
as well as relevant commitments under the CBD and consistent with
international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea. We underline the key role of the regional dimension, namely the
Regional Seas Conventions and Regional Fisheries Management
Organizations (RFMOs) and Regional Fisheries Advisory Bodies (RFABs).
To live up to these pledges, raise ambition and ensure sufficient and
timely progress in implementation, we are adopting the annexed G7
Ocean Deal.
22. We will increase our efforts nationally and internationally
to conserve or protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030
through ecologically representative, well-connected networks of
effectively and equitably managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and
OECMs. This commitment could include highly and fully protected MPAs
in our own coastal and marine areas, as appropriate and respecting the
rights of Indigenous Peoples, as reflected in relevant national law
and international instruments such as UNDRIP.
23. We acknowledge the key role of ecosystem-based marine
spatial planning in achieving the objectives of protecting,
conserving, restoring and sustainably using the Ocean.
24. We call for the conclusion of the negotiations for an
international legally binding instrument under UNCLOS on the
conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of
areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) in 2022. We strive for an
ambitious, effective, inclusive, fair, balanced and future-proofed
BBNJ instrument that will be a major contribution to enhanced
multilateral cooperation for the ocean taking into account the
precautionary approach as set out in Principle 15 on the Rio
Declaration of Environment and Development and an ecosystem-based
approach. We will support its future implementation and contribution
to conservation or protection of at least 30% of the global ocean by
2030 through an ecologically representative, well connected network of
MPAs and OECMs and other area-based management tools including as
appropriate, highly and fully protected marine areas in areas beyond
national jurisdiction.
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25. We fully support the commitment of the Commission for the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to
establish a representative system of MPAs in the Convention area as
soon as possible. This should be based on the best available
scientific evidence as well as on the proposals to establish MPAs in
the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica and the region around the Western
Antarctic Peninsula. Large-scale and ecologically significant MPAs,
such as those under consideration in CCAMLR, are crucial to conserve
biodiversity and to build ocean resilience to climate change impacts
in Antarctica. We intend to continue high-level outreach to CCAMLR
members to facilitate the discussion for the designation of MPAs in
the Southern Ocean.
26. We fully welcome the global, regional and national
initiatives to protect, conserve and restore coastal and marine
ecosystems and acknowledge their great potential for providing climate
change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. We pledge to contribute
with national, regional and international efforts in the conservation,
protection and restoration of these ecosystems. Recognising that SDG
14 is among the least funded of the SDGs we are committed to enhanced
ocean finance, including for coastal and marine NbS that deliver for
people, biodiversity and climate whilst respecting their strong social
and environmental safeguards within the G7 and beyond.
27. We are ready to do our utmost to end plastic pollution
worldwide. We laud the UNEA 5.2 resolution End Plastic Pollution:
Towards an international legally binding instrument and are committed
to the rapid progression of negotiations initiated under that
resolution with the aim of their completion by the end of 2024. We
underline that a comprehensive approach is required that addresses the
lifecycle of plastics and acknowledges that technical and financial
resources are needed to support such an instrument. We emphasise that
the cost of environmental damage has been growing tremendously and
will continue to grow without intensified and coordinated action.
28. Rather than waiting for the new instrument and without
prejudice to ongoing negotiations, we each commit to, without delay,
taking ambitious actions that have environmental and socio-economic
benefits along the lifecycle of plastics, and we encourage and support
partner countries to do the same. Our actions could include, as
appropriate: addressing single-use plastics, non-recyclable plastics
as well as plastics with harmful additives through measures such as
phasing out when possible and reducing their production and
consumption; applying tools to internalise attributable costs of
plastic pollution; and addressing the sources, pathways and impacts of
microplastics, as well as promoting environmentally sound waste
management. In so doing, we will also foster robust engagement and
involvement of stakeholders. Additionally, we commit to supporting
efforts to improve transparency and traceability throughout the global
plastic value chains. Advancing our efforts against marine litter, we
will continue the work on the prevention, mitigation and recovery of
ghost fishing gear by measures like marking and reporting
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29. With regard to possible future deep-sea mining, we
highlight the unique chance to regulate a human activity before it is
put into practice in order to prevent damage to the marine
environment. Fully aware of the potentially devastating impacts on
marine ecosystems and the functioning of the ocean as a climate
regulator and in order to safeguard the integrity, connectivity and
functioning of the deep-sea ecosystems, we will continue to actively
engage in the development of the regulations for exploitation under
the International Seabed Authority (ISA). We will continue enhancing
knowledge on the deep sea, its unique ecosystems and the impacts of
possible deep-sea mining and put a particular focus on developing
effective environmental standards as binding elements in future
permitting processes. These standards should include science-based
threshold values for pressures and impacts on benthic, demersal and
pelagic ecosystems, as well as a requirement that a Regional
Environmental Management Plan, including a network of representative,
effectively managed protected areas is in place before an exploitation
license is granted in a region. Furthermore, we strongly support the
consideration of including a specific requirement for test mining as
part of an EIA. We also support the adoption of a standardised
approach by the ISA to the designation of Regional Environmental
Management Plans. We underline that the recent triggering of the
UNCLOS “two year rule” should not diminish our ambitions for
developing a regulatory framework that ensures the effective
protection of the marine environment. We affirm taking a precautionary
approach to potential mining of marine minerals in the Area. A robust
knowledge basis on the deep sea marine environment and on the risks
and potential impacts of deep sea mining operations, that is able to
demonstrate the environment is not seriously harmed, is critical for
considering our consent in the ISA council for any future mining
permits.
30. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is still
one of the biggest threats to marine ecosystems, depleting fish stocks
and destroying marine habitats. We renew the commitment to ending IUU
fishing through strengthened international and multilateral
cooperation, increased transparency and traceability, information
sharing and enforcement as well as stronger monitoring, control and
surveillance. This will contribute to a sustainable management of fish
stocks and fish supply for local food and nutrition security. We will
undertake every effort in the World Trade Organization to successfully
conclude the fisheries subsidies negotiations with a meaningful
agreement as soon as possible on comprehensive and effective
disciplines that eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing
and to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute
to overcapacity and over fishing. We will also promote global
ratification and implementation of the FAO Agreement on Port State
Measures as an effective binding instrument to end IUU fishing, and of
the International Maritime Organisation Cape Town Agreement.
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(3) Increasing Resource Efficiency, Transforming Economies towards
Circularity
31. We note with great concern that the exploitation of
natural resources is a main driver of the climate, biodiversity, and
pollution triple crisis. The International Resource Panel has
highlighted that the global extraction and processing of material
resources accounts for 90% of biodiversity loss and half of greenhouse
gas emissions. Resource efficiency and circular economy are
indispensable tools to reach our goals in these areas and to reduce
pressure on key natural resources such as water and land which are
increasingly under stress. We stress the importance of adopting an
integrated approach in managing resources efficiently to
simultaneously address multiple environmental challenges. Recalling
the 2016 Toyama Framework on Material Cycles and our goal to reduce
the consumption of natural resources, noting that current resource
exploitation is resulting in environmental degradation and is placing
increasing pressure on the planet, endangering the very systems that
provide the basis for sustainable development, we will therefore
increase our efforts to fully leverage resource efficiency and
circular economy for achieving the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, our
respective NDCs, global biodiversity targets and national biodiversity
strategies and action plans. We strive for our economies to quickly
become more circular.
32. In order to harness the full potential of resource
efficiency and circular economy, policy coherence and a systemic
approach across the entire product life cycle are needed. We therefore
welcome the adoption by UNEA 5.2 of the resolution ‘Enhancing Circular
Economy as a contribution to achieving sustainable consumption and
production’. We will take measures, in cooperation with the private
sector, to enhance the design of products including taking into
account lifecycle assessment to favour product lifetime extension,
repair, re-use and easier recycling, among other actions. We will
respond to the Assembly’s invitation to share and discuss best
practices regarding relevant product information along value chains.
Furthermore, we task the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency to support
such cooperation within the G7 and more widely.
33. The Bologna Roadmap, the working document of the G7
Alliance on Resource Efficiency adopted in 2017, has successfully
guided our work on resource efficiency and circular economy in the
past five years. During its implementation phase, we have strengthened
our collaboration and built a strong basis for our future work.
Building on the Bologna Roadmap, we will start a new work stream
within the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency dedicated to identifying
effective ways to use resource efficiency and circular economy as
tools for achieving and stepping up our climate and biodiversity
targets. To guide the future work of the Alliance, we adopt the new
Berlin Roadmap, as set out in the annex.
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(4) Managing Chemicals and Waste Sustainably related to SDG Target
12.4
34. We note with serious concern the findings and conclusions
of the Global Chemicals Outlook II and recognise the need to address
the adverse effects of the mismanagement of chemicals and waste and to
achieve SDG Target 12.4 related to chemicals and waste. We recognise
with alarm the mismanagement of chemicals and waste contribute to the
global pollution crisis, threatening human, animal and environmental
health as reported by UNEP. We recognise the need to stop
unsustainable business-as-usual practices and to increase efforts to
achieve the sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their
life cycle in order to substantially reduce the number of deaths and
illnesses from exposure to hazardous chemicals as well as to air,
water and soil pollution. Therefore, we will decisively step up global
action against pollution and to achieve the sound management of
chemicals and waste.
35. Recognising the need for an improved scientific basis for
policy action, we will actively work through the ad hoc Open-Ended
Working Group established at UNEA 5.2 towards the establishment of a
Science-Policy Panel by the end of 2024 to contribute further to the
sound management of chemicals waste and to prevent pollution.
36. Underscoring our strong commitment to reduce lead in the
environment, to reduce the disproportionate lead exposure in
vulnerable communities, we encourage appropriate domestic regulation
or control of lead in all countries, which can deliver societal
benefits that far exceed the costs. We look forward to the EU-USA
co-hosted workshop to be held under the German Presidency to take
stock of G7 activities and develop possible options for future work
and cooperation on sources of lead to reduce lead exposure in
developing countries. The G7 aims to identify areas of action to
strengthen the work to minimise lead pollution and exposure globally
and strengthen cooperation with existing international initiatives and
instruments, particularly SAICM. In doing so, the G7 will continue to
work with multilateral organisations such as UNEP, WHO and UNICEF.
37. We strive for an ambitious result of the Fifth
International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) including the
adoption of an ambitious improved enabling framework to address the
sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020, reflecting the
lifecycle approach and putting in place the means for its effective
implementation.
38. We recognise the importance of the implementation of the
Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labelling of
Chemicals (GHS) and will continue and intensify our work with the UN
GHS Sub-Committee to encourage its broader adoption and promote its
implementation including in developing countries.
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39. We aim to strengthen cross-sectoral
and international cooperation on chemicals and waste management at all
levels, to achieve joint benefits. In particular, we support capacity
building in developing countries and countries with economies in
transition by providing expertise and improved assistance for gaining
access to all available resources for sound management of chemicals
and waste. Furthermore, we welcome the increased volume of funding in
the 8th replenishment of the Global Environment Facility to support
the implementation of the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions and the
sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle in general.
40. We note the importance of effectively implementing
respective obligations under the Stockholm Convention, especially
regarding the elimination of the use of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
(PCB) in equipment by 2025 and the environmentally sound management of
PCB waste by 2028, and, therefore, support decisive action,
potentially including envisaged arrangements by the GEF to accelerate
action on PCB elimination.
(5) Implementing Environmental Sustainability through our Supply
Chains
41. We commit to supporting a transition to environmentally
sustainable supply chains which are net-zero aligned and climate
resilient, reduce pollution, decouple agricultural production from
forest loss and land degradation, use resources sustainably, reduce
product environmental impact, foster circular economy, and are
nature-positive.
42. We recognise that the protection of human rights, the
environment and climate are inextricably linked. We encourage
companies to contribute, through their supply chains, to the
achievement of environmental, social and economic sustainability goals
worldwide. National and international environmental and social
safeguards and labour standards such as the ILO Tripartite Declaration
of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and Social
Policy, the OECD Guidelines for MNEs and other international legal
instruments continue to provide the framework for promoting
sustainability of corporate action in their operations and supply
chains. While taking into account the need to avoid disproportionate
burdens and costs for SMEs, we will strengthen our efforts to
implement and promote a mix of effective binding and non-binding
policy measures that incentivise sustainability in supply chains and
take due account of the environmental impacts of supply chains,
including, as appropriate, effective domestic due diligence
regulation, the enhancement of transparency and reporting throughout
supply chains, and a strengthening of sustainable and green public
procurement.
43. We recognise the need for legal clarity for businesses
across jurisdictions, the consideration of the needs of producer
countries, and the risk of supply chains shifting to avoid regulation
necessitate solutions for coherent and comprehensive action.
Internationally accepted risk-based due diligence standards, as
developed under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, should be used
as a basis of and to streamline our due diligence endeavours.
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44. We welcome the ongoing discussions in the OECD Working
Party for Responsible Business Conduct and the stocktaking report on
the OECD Guidelines for MNEs, which notably highlights the important
role the Guidelines can play in providing unified guidance on the
scope of environmental impacts and risk that business should address.
We support a review of the OECD Guidelines that takes into account the
findings of the stocktaking report, particularly with respect to the
environmental chapter. Responsible business conduct guidance should
clarify expectations regarding the current global crises, including
the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,
and reflect the need to transition to sustainable production and
consumption patterns and implement the SDGs by 2030.
45. We underline the importance of international exchange of
information to share best practices and identify solutions in all
types of supply chains of relevant enterprises. We commit to
supporting businesses, particularly SMEs, e.g. through help desks,
sectoral dialogues, and recommendations, including for sustainable
land use. We underline the importance of cooperation and support
between and among the G7 governments, the private sector, consumer and
producer countries, international organisations, academia, and civil
society, including youth. We welcome discussions by G7 Labour
Ministers, Agriculture Ministers and Trade Ministers on ways to
facilitate sustainable supply chains.
46. Agricultural expansion is the driver of around 90% of
global deforestation and has a major impact on land degradation. Many
agricultural commodities are traded internationally. We will therefore
accelerate the transition to sustainable supply chains that decouple
trade and agricultural production from deforestation and forest
degradation, to meet our joint commitment to halt and reverse forest
loss and land degradation by 2030 in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration
on Forest and Land Use. We acknowledge the need to work towards a
shared understanding of the underlying challenges of addressing
deforestation and to develop complementary approaches to overcome
them, thereby reducing costs through coordinated action. The basis
could be to look to existing authoritative standards and guidelines on
responsible business conduct from OECD and others in order to drive
coherence. As consumer countries, we are determined to take
responsibility including through demand-side measures, strengthening
governance and transparency, and through capacity building for
industries and producer countries to increase sustainability in their
supply chains. We will, if appropriate, develop regulatory frameworks
or policies, which may include the introduction of due diligence
requirements for commodities associated with the risk of deforestation
and forest degradation, and review our progress by the end of 2023. We
take note of the work done by the German Presidency and welcome the
Presidency’s initiative to commission the OECD to provide further
analysis and guidance. In addition, to explore opportunities to
increase the coherence of approaches, we will work with partners,
foremost producer countries and other consumer countries, Indigenous
Peoples, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, academia,
relevant international organisations and local communities. In this
context, we will continue our participation in and support of relevant
initiatives, inter alia the Forest Agriculture and Commodity Trade
(FACT) Dialogue, and we will promote sustainable forest management and
sustainably produced wood and wood products, including through work by
the International Tropical Timber Organisation.
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III. Climate and Energy Transition
47. Accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement: We
reaffirm our unwavering commitment to strengthening the implementation
of the Paris Agreement. To this end, we commit to urgent, ambitious
and inclusive action in this decade to reduce emissions to keep a
limit of 1.5 °C temperature rise within reach, enhance resilience and
adaptive capacity to the impacts of climate change and to align
financial flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We remain
steadfast in our commitments to provide finance to those most
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We will fully play our
part in urgently implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact, and further
commitments made at COP26, including sectoral initiatives. Following
these objectives, we will work towards a successful COP27 and beyond.
48. Urgent action to close the gap for 1.5 °C: The contribution
of IPCC Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report has found
that there has been a consistent expansion of policies and laws
addressing mitigation, and this has led to the avoidance of emissions
that would otherwise have occurred. However, we note with serious
concern the existing gap between limiting global warming to 1.5 °C and
current targets leading to an increase in emissions by 13.6 percent
compared to 2010 levels in 2030, as shown in the March 2022 UNFCCC
Global Stocktake synthesis report on nationally determined
contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. We also recognise the
implementation gap between NDC targets and the expected outcome of
existing policies. In light of the latest findings of the IPCC, we
highlight the increased urgency to act for limiting global warming to
1.5 °C, so as to have peaked global greenhouse gas emissions between
2020 and 2025 and to reduce them by around 43 percent by 2030 and 84
percent by 2050 relative to the 2019 level. As part of this decline in
emissions, global carbon dioxide emissions need to be reduced by
around 48 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040 relative to the 2019
level, with global net zero carbon dioxide emissions to be reached in
the early 2050s. It is imperative to close the gaps and urgently take
action ensuring climate commitments such as NDCs and long-term
strategies (LTSs) are based on the latest available science including
the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.
49. 1.5 °C mid-term and long-term mitigation ambition and
implementation: We highlight that all G7 members committed to achieve
net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest and submitted
ambitious updated NDCs before COP26. We welcome that many other
countries committed to net zero targets and updated their NDCs as
well.
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We recall and support the Glasgow Climate Pact’s resolve to pursue
efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C and request to
Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their NDCs as
necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the
end of 2022. We urge all countries – especially major emitters – whose
2030 NDC targets are not yet aligned with a 1.5 °C pathway to increase
the ambition of these 2030 targets well before COP27. We urge all
countries to move towards economy-wide emission reduction targets. We
reiterate our commitment to effectively implement domestic mitigation
measures aimed at achieving our NDC targets and we commit to increase
our ambition, including for example, by adopting or strengthening
sectoral targets, by developing non-CO2 sub-targets, or by adopting
stringent implementation measures. We stress the importance of the
annual update of the UNFCCC NDC synthesis report and its inclusion of
sectoral measures noting the deadline of 23 September 2022 for NDC
submissions to be reflected in this report. Those of us who have not
done so, commit to submitting LTSs that set out concrete pathways to
net zero greenhouse gas emissions before or by 2050 and to do this as
soon as possible, making utmost efforts to do so in time for inclusion
in the UNFCCC LTS Synthesis Report ahead of COP27. We call on all
countries that have not yet submitted such strategies towards just
transitions to net zero emissions by or around mid-century to do so
prior to COP27. We commit to enhance our support for developing
countries in updating and implementing their NDCs and LTSs including
through our contribution to multilateral funds or bilateral support.
We welcome the facilitative work of the NDC Partnership and other such
initiatives. We commit to support the first annual high level
ministerial roundtable on pre2030 ambition at COP27, and an ambitious
work programme under the Paris Agreement to urgently scale up
mitigation ambition and implementation in this decade in a manner that
complements the global stocktake as Parties decided in the Glasgow
Climate Pact.
50. Adaptation: We recognise with deep concern that continued
global warming leads to increased risks and impacts in all regions
globally, including in our countries, profoundly affecting human life
and disproportionately impacting women and marginalised groups, as
well as livelihoods and ecosystems, as identified in the Working Group
II contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. We emphasise the
finding that inadequate progress towards the SDGs by 2030 reduces
climate resilient development prospects. At the same time, accelerated
climate action is a prerequisite of achieving the SDGs. We recognise
that climate resilient development is already challenging at current
warming levels and will become even more so if global warming exceeds
1.5 °C and may not be possible in some regions if global warming
exceeds 2 °C. Against these findings, we highlight that all countries,
including the G7, must enhance adaptation efforts while urgently
reducing emissions as the only way to keep the need for adaptation
within manageable bounds. In particular, we recognise the need to
enhance action and support for adaptation in vulnerable countries. We
underline the central role of effectively implemented national
adaptation strategies and plans and to support developing countries in
the development and implementation of these strategies, plans
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and respective communications as well as in monitoring and assessing
the progress of adaptation actions. We recently submitted our
adaptation communications to the Paris Agreement detailing our
respective measures, as the G7 committed to last year. We will
mainstream adaptation across sectors and governance levels including
local planning and promote awareness of the role of the private sector
in increasing resilience of infrastructure and companies including
building climate-resilient supply chains. We will scale up Naturebased
Solutions to improve resilience to climate change, and substantially
increase our efforts for sustainable water management around the
world. Demonstrating progress towards the global goal on adaptation is
key and thus, we support the objectives of the twoyear Glasgow-Sharm
el-Sheikh work programme and are committed to leverage this process
into tangible results for enhanced adaptive capacities, strengthened
resilience and reduced vulnerability to protect people, livelihoods
and ecosystems. Both this programme and reporting of adaptation action
will inform the Global Stocktake.
51. Loss and damage: Despite ongoing efforts in climate change
mitigation and adaptation, risks from climate change impacts remain in
all countries for all plausible scenarios and are already resulting in
economic and non-economic losses and damages. We stress that
comprehensive risk management approaches are key to building long-term
resilience of countries, vulnerable populations and communities to
loss and damage. We recognise that action and support for vulnerable
countries, populations and vulnerable groups need to be further scaled
up and emphasise the role of private and public sources, including
from G7 members, in providing enhanced support regarding averting,
minimising and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse
impacts of climate change. We strongly support the operationalisation
of the Santiago Network for averting, minimising and addressing loss
and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change to
catalyse demand-driven technical assistance of relevant organisations,
bodies, networks and experts for the implementation of relevant
approaches in particularly vulnerable developing countries. In
addition, we fully support and will constructively engage in the
Glasgow Dialogue among Parties, relevant organisations and
stakeholders to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities
for averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage associated
with the adverse effects of climate change. We welcome the work by
Development Ministers towards a global shield against climate risks
for poor and vulnerable people and countries by strengthening the
climate and disaster risk financing and insurance (CDRFI)
architecture, building on the InsuResilience Global Partnership.
52. Mobilising and aligning finance for a climate-neutral and
resilient world: We are collectively committed to delivering on the
US$100 billion joint mobilisation goal as soon as possible and through
to 2025, in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and
transparency on implementation. We reiterate the deep regret expressed
by Parties in Glasgow that this goal has not yet been fully delivered.
We reaffirm our commitment to working with other developed country
parties to urgently implement the Climate Finance Delivery Plan:
Meeting the US$100 Billion Goal, as well as other additional pledges
made in Glasgow,
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to reinforce our confidence that it will be met in 2023. We will,
together with other developed country parties, work on a progress
report ahead of COP27 focused on the implementation of the ten guiding
principles for collective action, as identified in last year’s
Delivery Plan. Further, we highlight the Paris Agreement’s recognition
that mobilising finance requires a global effort and call on all
countries to scale up their efforts to mobilise finance from all
sources to support climate action. We recognise the urgent need to
align financial flows with the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement
as required in Article 2.1.c. Making finance flows consistent with
low-emissions and climate-resilient development is an objective of all
Parties and we call on all countries to enhance the understanding of
ways to implement and progress towards this goal. All relevant
economic and financial decisionmaking processes need to fully take
into account climate and sustainability aspects and promote the
implementation of ambitious nationally determined contributions and
the SDGs. For shifting from billions to trillions, we underline the
urgent need to scale up efforts to mobilise the private sector for
accelerated action in mitigation and adaptation to achieve net zero
emissions by 2050 and climate-resilient development, recognising the
critical role that strong enabling environments, innovative finance
vehicles, public and private finance institutions, blended finance,
policies and risk pools play in this regard. We note with concern the
scale of private finance currently still supporting non-Paris aligned
activities especially in the fossil fuel sector. We welcome private
sector initiatives and voluntary commitments including through their
active participation in the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.
Additionally, we underline the urgent need for the public sector to
further enhance the enabling environments in all countries by adopting
appropriate regulatory frameworks, policies and fiscal and economic
levers in order to create more sustainable investment opportunities
for private investors contributing to the implementation of NDCs. We
also welcome the establishment of the UN Secretary General’s
High-level Expert Group to enhance the credibility of net zero
commitments by non-state actors. We are committed to engaging in
constructive and collaborative exchanges in an open, inclusive and
transparent manner, ensuring participatory representativeness, with
the aim of setting a new collective quantified climate finance goal by
2024 that is fit for purpose for reaching the long-term goals of the
Paris Agreement and reflects the need to align all global finance
flows with these objectives
53. Adaptation finance and access to climate finance: We are
working alongside others towards implementation of the Glasgow Climate
Pact’s call to collectively at least double the provision of climate
finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by
2025, in the context of achieving a balance between mitigation and
adaptation finance in the provision of scaled-up financial resources.
We strongly call on all relevant finance institutions, such as MDBs,
DFI and multilateral funds to further strengthen their efforts,
including by setting ambitious adaptation finance targets and by
supporting the scaled-up participation of the private sector. We will
work together through the agreed progress report to the Delivery Plan
to provide more information on these adaptation finance efforts.
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We highlight the importance of improving access to climate finance,
with a specific focus on poor and most vulnerable countries,
particularly LDCs and SIDS. In this regard, we welcome the leadership
of climate finance providers and recipients in applying the Taskforce
on Access to Climate Finance’s Principles and Recommendations and
pioneer country trials launched at COP 26 and are looking forward to
the lessons learned from the implementation of its pilot phase in
2022. We urge all climate finance providers and recipients to apply
the Taskforce’s Principles and Recommendations and encourage the
Taskforce to continue to advance its work, in particular with regard
to the role of the private sector.
54. MDBs Paris Alignment: We recognise the crucial role of
integrating climate change considerations consistently into all
relevant economic and financial decision-making processes. We urge
Development Finance Institutions, including MDBs, to present concrete
plans for aligning their direct and indirect operations with the goals
of the Paris Agreement as soon as possible, at the latest by COP27,
and to leverage their balance sheets and enhance their private sector
engagement to support the enhancement of NDCs and LTSs, support
economic development in alignment with a 1.5 °C pathway and climate
resilience, and to increase the use of risk mitigation tools such as
guarantees. In this regard, we call on all multilateral development
banks to finalise and make publicly available robust methodologies for
Paris alignment before COP27 for all its activities, in particular for
indirect and policybased lending, and to set out how they collectively
plan to report on the alignment of their portfolios by COP27. We
further call on MDBs to set out plans by 2022 to mobilise private
finance, in line with their mandates, and strategically de-risk
investments in view of cosharing risks with the private sector,
including through country-led processes and platforms. MDBs also have
a critical role in supporting developing economies in their pathways
towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient
development. We as G7 Members commit to use our roles as shareholders
of the relevant institutions to facilitate these actions. We
acknowledge the need to make climate finance gender-responsive and
enhance its effectiveness, especially to unleash the potential of
women empowered to contribute to climate and sustainability action.
55. Role of international cooperation: We commit to further
deepen and strengthen international cooperation to keep 1.5 °C within
reach, highlighting that we can only reach our shared climate and
energy goals by joining our efforts, benefiting from faster diffusion
and cost reduction of green technologies, an accelerated SDG
implementation and strengthened natural ecosystems. In this context,
we also recognise the need to enhance the mobilisation of financial
and technical support to developing countries to facilitate the
necessary just and equitable economic and societal transitions in the
context of their sustainable development priorities and prospects.
Being mindful of limited government resources and a multitude of
international cooperation formats, we highlight the necessity to
review and, where possible, streamline existing cooperation formats to
strengthen their effectiveness and efficiency. Well established
international energy organisations and multilateral platforms like the
Clean Energy Ministerial 3.0 and Mission Innovation 2.0, the Energy
Efficiency Hub, the International
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Energy Agency, and the International Renewable Energy Agency can play
an important role in this process. We commend the work of the OECD
‘International Programme for Action on Climate’ in its support of
countries to make progress towards net zero emissions and more
resilient economies by 2050.
56. Supporting the Breakthrough Agenda: We welcome the launch
of the Breakthrough Agenda at COP26 which aims to make clean
technologies and sustainable solutions the most affordable, accessible
and attractive option in each emitting sector globally before 2030. We
reaffirm our respective endorsements of the Glasgow Breakthroughs as
its first set of global leader-led common targets on power, road
transport, steel and hydrogen, and call for more countries to join in,
and support the development of additional breakthroughs as
appropriate. We are ready to partner with other countries to ensure
delivery on the Glasgow Breakthroughs through existing processes such
as Mission Innovation and the Clean Energy Ministerial, informed by an
annual report.
57. Open, cooperative international Climate Club: Open,
cooperative international Climate Club: We recall the G7 Leaders’
decision in February 2022 to explore establishing an open, cooperative
international Climate Club, consistent with international rules, and
with participation beyond the G7. We appreciate the value of
initiatives aimed at strengthening international climate responses,
including with respect to keeping the 1.5 °C limit within reach and
otherwise strengthening implementation of the Paris Agreement. We had
a first discussion on the Climate Club proposal and look forward to
intensifying our discussions and expanding consultations, including
with G20 partners and other developing and emerging countries. In our
discussions, we focused on a Climate Club’s potential contribution to
promoting ambitious climate action, including by serving as a forum
for discussion and coordination; on its relationship to the Paris
Agreement; on participation; and on a Club’s potential role in inter
alia accelerating decarbonisation, sharing best practices regarding
the comparability among and efficacy of various mitigation efforts and
outcomes, and addressing risks of carbon leakage, while complementing
our internal policy approaches. We note the discussions other G7
Ministers had on the Climate Club proposal and welcome their
contribution. We consider that a Climate Club could drive forward
industrial green transformation, taking into account the G7 Industrial
Decarbonisation Agenda and the G7 Hydrogen Action Pact (G7-HAP).
58. Just energy transition partnerships: We will not only
accelerate our own energy transitions and decarbonisation efforts, but
act as an incubator for global efforts. Therefore, in line with the
concept of just transition, we will collaborate with partners to
advance ambitious Just Energy Transition Partnerships with developing
countries and emerging economies that seek to significantly raise
their climate ambition and accelerate their transition to a net zero
pathway, in a manner that is consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5 °C
temperature rise within reach. The Just Energy Transition Partnership
with South Africa launched at COP 26 provides an example of how
innovative multi-donor partnerships and coordination with countries
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committed to advance ambitious reforms can work to mobilise finance to
deliver emission reductions. Inspired by this experience, together
with future partners, and a more ambitious approach from MDBs and
private finance, we aim to support several developing countries and
emerging economies that demonstrate a high level of ambition in
developing and implementing a country-led, accelerated, sustainable
and socially just energy transition that contributes to net zero
emissions, strengthened NDCs, and sustainable societies and economies
that are aligned with the Paris Agreement and support the 2030 Agenda,
considering each country’s specific situation. These partnerships will
complement, strengthen and support our ongoing international climate
cooperation efforts and build on well-established international
initiatives such as the NDC Partnership and other such initiatives.
The partnerships will act as a catalyst to encourage and facilitate
relevant regulatory reforms, mobilise finance and achieve tangible
mitigation outcomes at scale. They will promote the alignment of
finance with the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement while ensuring
the conditions for affected workers and communities to thrive in a net
zero carbon economy.
59. Carbon markets and carbon pricing: We recognise the crucial
potential of carbon markets and carbon pricing for incentivising
investments in technologies, infrastructure and Nature-based Solutions
that promote a transformation to net zero, accelerate cost-efficient
emission reductions, and enhance the alignment of financial flows with
the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. In this context, we
highlight that the revenues generated through carbon markets and
carbon pricing can enable countries to finance further climate action,
and to support vulnerable and low-income households in the
transformation to net zero. We will work together, and with partners
beyond the G7, to expand the ambitious use of carbon markets and
carbon pricing around the world. Acknowledging the critical role of
governments in leading by example as well as catalysing economy-wide
changes through our actions, we will explore and promote the adoption
of other carbon pricing and carbon market-based measures, including
carbon shadow pricing, for accelerating the reduction of emissions
related to public procurement and investments. We recognise that the
risk of carbon leakage may increase with more divergent climate policy
ambition among other factors.
60. Reducing emission intensities: We emphasise that in order
to achieve net zero globally, it is essential to produce and introduce
products with a minimal or negative carbon footprint and reduce
emission intensity as fast as possible taking into consideration
trajectories in the transition to net zero. In the context of
industrial production, taking into account that reductions in emission
intensity are an outcome of various reduction efforts by various
actors, such as national governments, regions, local governments, and
companies, according to each country’s energy situation and industrial
structure, we recognise that emission intensity along with other key
metrics including sustainability, security, and good governance,
transparency and accountability can contribute to coordinating
policies for the development and diffusion of low-carbon emission
intensity products in the near-term. We recognise that emission
intensity is an important factor for the implementation of
instruments to address the risk of
carbon leakage. We therefore recognise the need to collaborate on the
development of measurement standards for evaluating the emissions
intensity of production as well as other social and governance metrics
starting with what are understood to be essential elements of
production.
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61. Implementation of Article 6: We welcome the CMA.3 decision
on guidance / rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement which
provides a robust framework for Parties to avoid double-counting,
ensures environmental integrity, and promotes sustainable development
where Parties engage in international carbon markets to implement and
achieve their NDCs. While the focus needs to remain on domestically
reducing emissions and increasing removals, we recognise the potential
of Article 6 for facilitating further ambition to close the gap
towards limiting global warming to 1.5 °C and fostering private sector
involvement in and mobilisation of finance and resources for climate
action. We stress the importance of strengthening support for
capacity-building to developing countries with respect to the robust
implementation of Article 6 and the International Civil Aviation
Organization’s global market-based measure, CORSIA. We will review the
objectives of the Carbon Market Platform and enhance outreach to
partner countries in light of the new guidance and rules for Article
6. We reaffirm the fundamental importance of environmental integrity
and sustainable development in the design of high integrity carbon
market mechanisms, including those used by the private sector for
voluntary purposes which should be based on robust rules and
accounting that ensure avoidance of all forms of doublecounting. We
encourage the private sector to set out and undertake aggressive
mitigation strategies that target net zero emissions by 2050,
prioritising reductions in greenhouse gases across their full value
chain.
62. Collaborative climate and energy action: We encourage
ambitious, Paris-aligned action and collaboration and coordination
across all levels and sectors of government, involving all cities,
regions, communities, stakeholders, citizens and business sectors,
acknowledging that the necessary transformation to net zero and
climate resilience will be driven and implemented to a large extent at
local level, including through initiatives developed by local
governments, city networks such as the Global Covenant of Mayors,
ICLEI and C40, as well as civil society and private sector-led
initiatives. In this context, we recognise the need to include and
engage subnational and non-state actors in the development, update and
implementation of NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and to
support them in their efforts to educate, raise awareness, enhance
public participation and implement localised climate action, including
through technical assistance, capacity-building, and finance. This
includes empowering and supporting the role of those most affected by
climate change as agents of change, particularly women, girls, youth,
and indigenous peoples. We recognise that women’s full, equal and
meaningful participation and leadership at all levels of
decision-making are critical for making climate change action more
effective. We underline the importance of the enhanced Marrakesh
Partnership and its work programme 2021-2025 for a catalysed
implementation across sectors.
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63. Gender equality and diversity in the energy sector: We look
forward to the forthcoming joint G7 Gender Equality and Diversity in
the Energy Sector Report on activities and progress made so far and
stress the need for enhanced action to achieve equality and dignity
for all. We reaffirm our commitment to the Equal by 30 campaign
launched in 2018 and the set of strengthened commitments adopted in
2021 to work towards equal pay, leadership and opportunities for women
and to advance gender equality and diversity in the clean energy
sector by 2030. (1) We will lead by example to strive for gender
balance in leadership positions across national public energy
institutions. (2) To further leverage the potential of women’s
participation in the clean energy industry, we intend to amplify best
practices from the G7 Gender Equality and Diversity in the Energy
Sector Report and identify potential further areas of action by the
end of the year on how to address social, cultural and educational
barriers to entry and retention in the sustainable energy workforce,
monitor our progress annually, and aim to collect better
gender-disaggregated data. (3) We will make efforts within our
governments, which may include designating a national gender and
energy transition focal point, to work to coordinate and facilitate
implementation and integration with economy-wide gender strategies.
(4) Finally, we invite the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, the
Clean Energy Ministerial, IEA and IRENA to work with us on reporting
on our progress annually and to develop recommendations for further
action.
64. HFCs, Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment and related
initiatives: We reaffirm the importance of consistent and universal
implementation of the Montreal Protocol for both the protection of the
ozone layer and the climate and call upon all countries who have not
already done so to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal
Protocol. We will continue to implement the phasedown of
hydrofluorocarbon production and consumption reflected in the Kigali
Amendment to the Montreal Protocol while supporting the direct
transition to efficient, climate- and environmentally friendly
alternatives. Apart from the Montreal Protocol, we also highlight the
importance of reducing emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)
throughout the life cycle and welcome international efforts and
knowledge sharing initiatives in this regard, including approaches for
sustainable waste management of appliances containing ozone-depleting
substances (ODS) and HFC.
65. Methane: We highlight that in order to keep 1.5 °C within
reach and to reduce the likelihood of overshoot, significant methane
emission reductions must be achieved globally by 2030. In this context
and in the light of the latest findings of the IPCC, we highlight the
need to reduce global methane emissions by 34 percent by 2030 and by
44 percent by 2040 relative to the 2019 level to limit global warming
to 1.5 °C by 2100 with no or limited overshoot. We therefore reaffirm
our commitment made at COP26 to implement the Global Methane Pledge,
whose endorsers are committed to collectively reduce global
anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020
levels by 2030. In order to accelerate its implementation,
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those of us who have not already done so endeavour to implement
domestic methane emission reductions by developing national climate
plans and strategies and implementing accompanying measures, and we
encourage those who do not yet have such plans to develop them. We
stand ready to support the Climate and Clean Air Coalition as a core
implementing partner of the Pledge. While the generation of waste is
not encouraged, we recognise the opportunities to mitigate methane
emissions from the waste sector, primarily by diversion of organic
waste from landfills through best management practice and processes
aiming at material and energy recovery and as appropriate by sound
management of landfill sites as well as by using waste-to-fuel
technologies to produce renewable methane from organic waste,
agricultural residues and biomass that does not depend on arable land
or cannot be utilised in a better way. The waste sector can contribute
to a reduction in atmospheric methane emissions if the infrastructure
in place to transport the renewable methane does not allow for
intentional or unintentional venting of methane. We also recognise the
opportunities to mitigate methane emissions from the energy sector by
capturing and using methane from the oil and gas sector that would
otherwise have been vented, wasted, flared or lost in transport, and
by using best practices to minimise methane from coal mining. We
further recognise that more efforts are needed to reduce agricultural
methane emissions. We recognise the need to continuously improve
emissions measurement, reporting and verification to inform national
emissions inventories and the work of the International Methane
Emissions Observatory (IMEO), launched during G20 2021 by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) with the support from the European Union,
in collecting, reconciling and verifying anthropogenic methane
emissions data at a global level and encourage continued cooperation
with relevant stakeholders such as the International Energy Agency. In
addition to our national efforts, we highlight the importance of
reducing the methane emissions associated with energy production and
consumption. We therefore will consider providing increased support to
methane reduction and elimination projects in developing and emerging
economies. In particular, we are committed to working with other oil
and gas producing countries to accelerate flaring and methane
abatement projects and strengthen policies to reduce methane emissions
in the oil and gas sector.
66. Impact of Russian war of aggression on current energy
market situation and energy supply security: Russia’s unjustifiable,
unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is causing
strong reverberations in international energy markets and has led to
further significant price increases on oil, gas, coal, minerals and,
indirectly, electricity, goods and services and food across the G7 and
beyond. We note with grave concern the burden this creates for
households, in particular for low-income households, as well as
businesses and industry, in G7 countries and beyond. We also
acknowledge that elevated prices will be felt acutely both in mature
economies as well as in developing countries that are net energy
importers with already drained financial resources. We will monitor
developments closely in order to take further concerted and stringent
measures if necessary, including as adequate with partners outside the
G7. It is necessary to consider effective measures in order to stop
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the increase in the energy prices driven by extraordinary market
conditions, without compromising key climate policy mechanisms to
drive the energy transition. Recent events have also given rise to
significant risks to the energy supply security of G7 countries and
beyond. We call on oil and gas producing countries to act in a
responsible manner and to respond to tightening international markets,
noting that OPEC has a key role to play. We will work with them and
all partners to ensure stable and sustainable global energy supplies.
We will act in solidarity and close coordination in the event of
potential supply disruptions and will do what is needed to mitigate
the impact on our economies and citizens, especially in order to
protect vulnerable groups. We commit to continue working together to
ensure diversification of energy and related critical minerals
sources, supplies, routes, and means of transport to build system
resilience and promote competitive, reliable, affordable energy
markets based on transparent rules. On 8th May 2022, G7 Leaders
committed to phase out our dependency on Russian energy, including by
phasing out or banning the import of Russian oil. Some G7 members have
stepped up their efforts to enhance energy self-sufficiency.
Decreasing dependence on natural gas from Russia in the European Union
is of special urgency. We welcome the timely 10-Point Plans put
forward by the International Energy Agency. We acknowledge that the
European Commission has published its REPower EU Plan to phase out
dependency on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible. We stress the
important role increased deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) can
play in order to mitigate potential supply disruptions of pipeline
gas, especially to European markets. We acknowledge that investment in
this sector is necessary in response to the current crisis, in a
manner consistent with our climate objectives and without creating
lockin effects. The current crisis highlights the real, urgent need
and the opportunity for Europe to reduce its dependency on Russia by
diversifying supply, accelerating the roll out of clean, safe and
sustainable energy technologies, and critically enhancing energy
efficiency, with significant progress possible by the end of the year.
67. Increasing energy security through an accelerated energy
transition: The current crisis underlines the critical need to ensure
a strong contribution of innovative, clean, safe, reliable and
sustainable energy technologies in enhancing energy efficiency and the
security and stability of energy supply. We are thus further
strengthened in our resolve to accelerate the clean energy transition
towards a net zero emissions future by 2050, while also keeping energy
security and affordability at the core of our action, including
through the rapid expansion of low-carbon and renewable energies and
an increase in energy efficiency. We emphasise that an accelerated
clean energy transition is key to improving security, stability and
affordability of energy supply by reducing the supply security and
climate risks associated with dependence on fossil fuel energy sources
and making energy more widely accessible, enhancing industrial
competitiveness and protecting energy consumers. We note that the
development and deployment of clean, safe and sustainable energy
technologies, in particular energy efficiency improvements and the
expansion of low-carbon and renewable energies, supports economic
growth and job creation including as many as 2.6 million jobs in the
G7 over the next decade according to the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050:A
Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector report.
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We also appreciate that an accelerated energy transition serves as a
catalyst for the implementation of SDG 7 and for the 2030 Agenda as a
whole. The energy transition will continue to be materially intensive,
and we need to ensure secure, responsible and sustainable supply
chains for the critical minerals needed to power the net zero
economies. We also reaffirm the importance of open, flexible,
transparent, competitive and sustainable energy markets. This includes
ensuring secure, sustainable and resilient markets for critical
minerals and critical clean technology components to achieve stable,
secure and affordable clean energy supply without harm to the
environment.
68. Energy efficiency: We highlight the role of energy
efficiency as the “first fuel” in the energy transition. We underscore
that conserving and making efficient use of energy and resources are
key across all sectors and can strengthen energy and resource
security, lower greenhouse gas emissions, boost economic
competitiveness, create jobs, help prevent biodiversity loss and
environmental pollution, reduce energy poverty and mitigate the
macroeconomic and social impact of high energy prices. To this end, we
will improve our regulatory frameworks and leverage public and private
finance to promote both technological and non-technological solutions
to foster energy efficiency improvements in our economies. This should
include measures such as behaviour change and public guarantees to
de-risk private investments. We will increase our efforts towards
meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 7.3 on energy efficiency and
strengthen our international cooperation including through the IEA
Energy Efficiency Hub and the Super-efficient Equipment Appliance
Deployment Initiative for those that have already joined these
initiatives. We recognise efforts to implement stronger demand side
measures that will benefit consumers while reducing emissions.
69. Renewable energy: Emphasising the major importance of an
enhanced and rapid growth in the deployment of renewable energy in our
economies and globally for keeping 1.5 °C temperature rise within
reach, we will drastically increase electricity generated by renewable
energies, as well as the use of renewables in heating, cooling and
transportation. We acknowledge that a greenhouse gas neutral energy
supply with strong reliance on renewable energy is economically
sensible, technically feasible, reliable and safe. In deploying
renewables, we will fully harness their positive potential for
improved energy security and access as well as economic growth. We
also recognise the importance of R&D activities to support the growth
of the most innovative renewable technologies that will contribute to
a net zero future. We recognise work by international energy
organisations to support efforts to accelerate and expand the use of
renewable energy technologies. To achieve our goals, we will remove
barriers and obstacles that currently hinder or slow down the
expansion of renewable energies, for example in the context of
planning and permitting procedures, market design, grid operation,
fiscal incentives, and investments in infrastructure needed for the
integration of high shares of variable renewables. We recognise that
in order to get on a pathway to net zero emissions by 2050 at the
latest we will need to provide public financing for renewables as a
means of
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leveraging the required levels of private investment. In this regard,
we acknowledge the IEA net zero scenario which suggests that G7
economies invest at least US$1.3 trillion in renewable energy
including tripling investments in clean power and electricity networks
between 2021 and 2030. In addition, we will continue to share
knowledge and best practices gathered across the G7 on the grid
integration of renewables and fostering the creation of enabling
regulatory frameworks within developing and emerging economies.
70. Power-to-X, low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and its
derivatives such as ammonia, G7 Hydrogen Action Pact (G7-HAP): We
emphasise the central role of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and
its derivatives such as ammonia for achieving net zero emissions and
an energy-secure future. Ramping-up global markets and supply chains
for low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and its derivatives is a key
enabling step towards a full decarbonisation of our economies. This
need has become even more prevalent given the current geopolitical
turmoil and disruptions, which led to record-high energy prices and a
severe risk for our energy security. In line with the Glasgow
Breakthrough Agenda, we therefore aim at accelerating and
strengthening our joint action in the field of low-carbon and
renewable hydrogen and its derivatives, as well as at streamlining the
implementation of existing multilateral activities. To this end, in
cooperation with and avoiding duplication with other initiatives such
as relevant initiatives under the Clean Energy Ministerial, Mission
Innovation, the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
in the Economy, IRENA, the IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes,
and the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial, we launch the G7 Hydrogen Action
Pact (G7-HAP). We commit to take the following actions, which will
contribute to reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement as well as to
providing new opportunities for the sustainable development of
economies and societies in G7 countries and beyond: (i) We will
accelerate the development of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen, and
other Power-to-X value chains, domestically and at global scale,
notably in hard-to-abate sectors. (ii) We will speed-up the shaping of
regulatory frameworks and common standards which facilitate the
production, trade, transport and use of low-carbon and renewable
hydrogen and derived products. (iii) We confirm our strong financial
commitments for the market ramp-up of low-carbon and renewable
hydrogen and its derivatives, thereby signalling an irreversible shift
towards a world economy based on lowcarbon and renewable energy
sources. (iv) We will identify and close existing gaps for the ramp-up
of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen value chains, reaching also
beyond G7 countries. (v) We will exchange best practices on low-carbon
and renewable hydrogen production based on sustainability criteria and
facilitate dialogue on the geopolitical implications of an emerging
global hydrogen market. (vi) We support the role of low-carbon and
renewable hydrogen and its derivatives in the decarbonisation of
natural gas infrastructure and for zero-emission thermal power
generation.
71. Decarbonisation of power systems: We note the IPCC AR 6
Working Group III Report and its findings on the need, to
substantially reduce overall fossil fuel use, switch to alternative
energy carriers and increase energy efficiency and conservation. We
further note that the report also highlights that the continued
installation of unabated fossil fuel infrastructure will lock-in GHG-emissions.
We welcome the Glasgow Climate Pact and its call to accelerate efforts
towards the phasedown of unabated coal power. We highlight that,
wherever feasible, electrification of energy demand sectors is key to
decarbonising our energy systems. Recalling our agreement in the 2021
Climate and Environment communique, we further commit to a goal of
achieving predominantly decarbonised electricity sectors by 2035,
prioritising, consistent with our 2030 NDCs, our power sector
transition commitments and our respective net zero commitments,
concrete and timely steps towards the goal of an eventual phase-out of
domestic unabated coal power generation. To this end, we will rapidly
scale up the necessary technologies and policies for the clean energy
transition. In doing so, we reaffirm the importance of national energy
security, affordability and resilience and underscore the importance
of providing support for affected workers, regions and communities. We
commit to supporting an accelerated global unabated coal phase-out and
recognise that some Members participate in the Powering Past Coal
Alliance, which contributes to the achievement of this objective.
72. Nuclear energy: Those countries that opt to use it,
reaffirmed the role of nuclear energy in their energy mix. Those
countries recognise its potential to provide affordable lowcarbon
energy and contribute to the security of energy supply as a source of
baseload energy and grid flexibility. They state their assessment that
the development and deployment of advanced nuclear technologies
including Small Modular Reactors within the next decade will likely
contribute to more countries around the world adopting nuclear power
as part of their energy mix. The G7 underline that the highest
standards of nuclear safety and security are important to all
countries and their respective publics.
73. Fossil fuels subsidies: We stress that fossil fuel
subsidies are inconsistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies is a key component of
delivering on Article 2.1.c of the Paris Agreement. Phasing out
inefficient fossil fuel subsidies frees up scarce public resources,
which can be used to support an accelerated clean energy transition
and can help reduce competitive disadvantages for clean energy
technologies. In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine, financial
support for companies and citizens affected by severely rising prices
for fossil fuels is now on the political agenda for several countries.
Nevertheless, we aim for our relief measures to be temporary and
targeted and we reaffirm our commitment to the elimination of
inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. To accelerate the
achievement of our collective goal, we will take action as required to
ensure full implementation of our commitment. Recognising the need to
increase
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transparency, we aim to report on progress towards the achievement of
our commitment in 2023 building on ongoing processes including in the
G20, SDG target 12.c and in the OECD, and will consider options for
developing joint public inventories of fossil fuel subsidies as soon
as possible. Building on this work and the COP26 commitment to
accelerate efforts towards the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel
subsidies, we call on other countries to make progress on these
efforts ahead of COP27. In this regard, we will also take steps to
increase cooperation, discussion, and best practice sharing on
eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and enhancing
transparency at the international level.
74. International fossil fuel finance: We reiterate our
commitment to align official international financing with the goals of
the Paris Agreement as reflected in Article 2.1.c, and to achieve deep
global emissions reductions in the 2020s, as well as in the 2030s and
2040s. In this context, we also highlight that we have ended new
direct government support for unabated international thermal
coal-fired power generation by the end of 2021, including through
Official Development Assistance, export finance, investment, and
financial and trade promotion support. We remain convinced that the
most important contribution towards energy security is an accelerated
and prudently managed clean energy transition and are steadfastly
committed to pursuing this. We stress that global investments in low
and zero emissions energy need to significantly increase to keep the
world on track for net zero emissions and the 1.5 °C limit. We
highlight the importance of supporting developing countries to achieve
their climate goals and the energy transition in a timely and well
managed fashion. We will continue to promote the flow of public and
private capital towards investment aligned with the long-term goals of
the Paris Agreement. Recognising that advancing national security and
geostrategic interests is crucial, and further recognising that
accelerating the international clean energy transition and phasing out
continued global investment in the unabated fossil fuel sector is
essential to keep a limit of 1.5 °C temperature rise within reach, we
commit to end new direct public support for the international unabated
fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022, except in limited
circumstances clearly defined by each country that are consistent with
a 1.5 °C warming limit and the goals of the Paris Agreement. We commit
to align our official trade, export and development finance policies
towards these objectives, including the possibility of providing
additional incentives for clean energy technologies, and implementing
these commitments within this time frame. This will also guide our
approach in public finance institutions and on the boards of MDBs and
bilateral DFIs. We therefore call on other major economies, the MDBs
and bilateral DFIs, multilateral funds, public banks and relevant
agencies to also adopt these commitments. We commit to review our
progress against our commitments.
75. Decarbonising our industries: We underline the key
importance of decarbonising key industrial sectors to keep a limit of
1.5 °C temperature rise within reach. The 2020s are decisive years to
shape the regulatory policy framework that guides investments reaching
beyond 2050 and prevent stranded assets in the industry. We therefore
commit to support the acceleration of the pace of industry
decarbonisation in particular in sectors in which emissions are hard
to abate,
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and to strengthening cooperation on transforming our industries
towards climate neutrality. We will therefore further advance the work
on the G7 Industrial Decarbonisation Agenda (IDA) to complement and
support the activities of existing key initiatives and will amplify
ambition. We will further work on promoting appropriate push and pull
mechanisms to accelerate the innovation and scaling-up of near-zero
technologies and infrastructure across G7 members and beyond to
support a sustainable and just transition. We recognise that research
and innovation play a vital role in driving forward further the
decarbonisation of all industrial sectors. We therefore commit to
continue focusing on public clean energy and low-carbon RD&D efforts
that support the emergence of new technologies, underpin the
development of necessary codes, standards and regulations while
reducing market distortions. Keeping in mind the importance of
reducing emissions immediately and across all sectors, we will also
continue and strengthen our work to reduce emissions from key
industrial processes through enhanced energy and resource efficiency,
electrification, process integration, low-carbon and renewable
hydrogen, comprehensive industrial heat utilisation and reduced waste
in industry, fuel switching and carbon capture, utilisation and
storage (CCUS) and carbon recycling. Acknowledging that achieving net
zero industry will require enhanced global efforts, we will explore
supporting low and middle-income countries through financial and
technical cooperation, as well as in multilateral fora. To build
demand, we want to accelerate the momentum on market uptake for near
zero industrial production products on a broader scale and will push
for the advancement of the issue on the agenda in other international
fora.
76. Achieving Net Zero Heavy Industry Sectors in G7 Members: We
welcome the report by the International Energy Agency on “Achieving
Net Zero Heavy Industry Sectors in G7 Members”, especially its
recommendations regarding the suitable policies and financing
mechanisms on the pathway to near zero industry production and the
suggested principles of common and practicable definitions of
near-zero-emission materials production, taking into consideration
circumstances unique to each sector and region. Taking into account
the timeline for technological innovation, we recognise that lead
markets for near zero emission materials should be scaled-up already
in this decade to gain dominance after 2030, consistent with our goal
of achieving net zero emissions by or before 2050. While actively
stepping up to near-zero-emission, all countries should provide policy
support for the necessary transition which are in line with pathways
towards net zero. From the IEA report we further note that lead
markets for near-zero-emissions primary steel and clinker used in
cement can potentially grow respectively to 100 and 250 million tonnes
worldwide by 2030 and we endeavour to deploy relevant policy measures
and stimulate private initiatives to contribute to realise this
opportunity.
77. Advancing the G7 Industrial Decarbonisation Agenda: We want
to foster and accelerate the emergence of markets for near zero
industrial products. Advancing the G7 Industrial Decarbonisation
Agenda and informed by the IEA Report on Net Zero Heavy Industries in
G7 Members, we decide on recognise the definitions in the report as a
robust starting point for a common
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understanding of ambitious general definitions for near-zeroemission
steel and cement production, taking into consideration circumstances
unique to each sector and region for near zero industrial production
processes (see annex “Conclusions regarding the Industrial
Decarbonisation Agenda”). We will work to align definitions in future
projects for industry decarbonisation. We note that this can serve as
a model to develop and agree on definitions for further
energy-intensive industry sectors. We also underscore that a
comprehensive set of different policies addressing key areas is needed
to accelerate industry decarbonisation, especially in the sectors in
which emissions are hard to abate and recognise the toolbox of
potential policy measures, identified in the IDA (see annex
“Conclusions regarding the Industrial Decarbonisation Agenda”). We
decide to explore the details of these elements and actions further
within the IDA framework and review its progress adequately. We
highlight sustainable and green procurement as an appropriate
mechanism to accelerate a technology switch in hard to abate sectors,
especially steel and cement, taking into account the timeline for
technological innovation. With its significant market power in each
country and relevance for global emissions, the public sector is
crucial for the creation of lead markets for near-zero-emission
materials. We further welcome the agreements reached on the Glasgow
Breakthrough on steel as a promising step to unlocking green steel
production. We will work to advance its goals over time. We further
welcome the work to accelerate the decarbonisation of industry done by
international initiatives such as the Clean Energy Ministerial’s
Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI), the First Movers
Coalition, the Leadership Group for Industry Transition and the
Mission Innovation net zero Industries.
78. Road sector: We acknowledge that the transport sector
accounts for approximately one quarter of global energy-related CO2
emissions. We emphasise that keeping a limit of 1.5 °C temperature
rise within reach is only possible through a swift and substantial
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by a
massive uptake of electrification technology and deep cuts in
emissions in the 2020s, facilitated by an overall transformation of
the sector. We note AR 6 Working Group III Report and its findings on
decarbonising the transport sector, which states that, electric
vehicles powered by low emissions electricity offer the largest
decarbonisation potential for land-based transport, on a life cycle
basis. The IPCC report further states, that sustainable biofuels can
offer additional mitigation benefits in land-based transport in the
short and medium-term and that sustainable biofuels, low-emissions
hydrogen, and derivatives (including synthetic fuels) can support
mitigation of CO2 emissions from shipping, aviation, and heavy-duty
land transport but require production process improvements and cost
reductions. Working towards a zero emission road sector as a critical
component of keeping 1.5 °C within reach, we commit to a highly
decarbonised road sector by 2030 including by, in this decade:
significantly increasing the sale, share and uptake of zero emission
light duty vehicles, including zero emission public transport and
public vehicle fleets; accelerating the transition away from new sales
of diesel and petrol cars; substantially reducing emissions from
medium and heavy duty vehicles; investing significantly in charging
and refueling infrastructure; promoting innovation; and supporting
sustainable and safe battery
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recycling. We recognise the range of pathways that Members are
adopting to approach these goals. We note the commitments made by
those who signed the COP26 declaration on “Accelerating the transition
to zero emission cars and vans”. We welcome and support the Zero
Emission Vehicle Transition Council and will work with other global
partners to accelerate the deployment of zero emission vehicles for
passengers and freight including exploring ways to support developing
countries in making the transition. We further commit to supporting
our industries and citizens with this transition in an equitable and
inclusive way. We commit to ambitious action to promote sustainability
and decarbonisation along the life cycle of vehicles.
79. Sustainable transport modes in urban and rural areas: We
stress the urgent need to promote sustainable mobility and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector to help achieve net
zero emissions globally by 2050. We set a goal to significantly
increase the share of our transport budgets spent on sustainable low
or zero-carbon transport modes such as public transport, railways,
shared mobility, cycling, walking and on accelerating the adoption of
electric vehicles by funding charging infrastructure. We will
intensify our efforts in enhancing the offer of more sustainable and
interlinked transport modes in urban and rural areas and supporting
inter-modal transport with investment in rail and waterborne
infrastructure. We commit to promote a modal shift to encourage our
industries and citizens to use low or zero emission transport modes.
Furthermore, we also need to promote decarbonising the entire life
cycle of vehicles. We commit to support the transition of our
industrial bases and to provide ambitious investment to research, and
to further develop and scale up the technologies needed to support a
rapidly growing global market for sustainable mobility.
80. International aviation: We commit to support an ambitious
Paris-compatible long-term aspirational goal that delivers net zero
emissions from international aviation no later than 2050, and to work
together to secure an effective and ambitious outcome of the first
periodic review of ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for
international aviation (CORSIA) at the 41st ICAO Assembly in 2022.
Therefore, we commit to support joint measures to increase fuel
efficiency for civil aviation accompanied by strong research and
development to foster the development of low-carbon aircrafts
including electric and hydrogen-based solutions and innovative engine
technology. In addition, we support measures to jointly increase the
availability of sustainable aviation fuels, in order to lower CO2
emissions of the aviation sector in the short-term. We support the
COP26 International Aviation Climate Ambition Declaration, and those
countries who have joined it, the Toulouse Declaration.
81. International Shipping: We commit to strengthen global
efforts to achieve zero emissions from international shipping by 2050
at the latest. We pledge to work at the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) towards such a goal, including the development and
adoption of ambitious Paris compatible medium and long-term goals and
measures for 2030 and 2040 to
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ensure an adequate trajectory. In this regard, we also commit to build
a global consensus on strengthening the levels of ambition in the
initial IMO strategy on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from
ships in the context of its forthcoming revision, in line with the
Paris Agreement temperature goal. We recognise the crucial role of
zero and low emission life cycle technologies and fuels, and the need
for action across the entire shipping value chain, including zero and
low emission green ports and investments for the production of zero
and low emission fuels and infrastructure, as well as considering life
cycle zero emission fuel standards to ensure sufficient supply of
these fuels to the sector. We support the COP26 Clydebank Declaration
for green shipping corridors and, for those who have joined it, the
Declaration on Zero Emission Shipping by 2050.
82. Net zero buildings: We note the AR 6 Working Group III
Report and its findings on decarbonising buildings and recognise the
need for more ambitious and more effective policies to accelerate
renovation rates, improve energy efficiency, leverage renewable energy
and build the technical, institutional and financial capacity to reach
net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With direct, indirect, and
embodied emissions from existing buildings and from the construction
industry contributing to approximately 40 per cent of global CO2
emissions and rising demand for building materials, especially in
emerging countries with growing urban middle classes, we note the
importance of decarbonising buildings in combatting climate change and
the need to enhance buildings’ climate resilience. Where not yet in
place, we commit to advance targets, with the earliest possible dates,
to reduce energyrelated emissions from public and/or private buildings
in line with keeping 1.5 °C limit to temperature rise within reach. We
will sustainably increase energy efficiency, including by promoting
the setting of performance standards for existing buildings and design
standards for new buildings, as well as and incentivising renovations,
and enhance action to reduce all types of greenhouse gas emissions
during the entire life cycle of buildings, such as in land use,
design, building materials, construction and dismantling, and by
supporting the growth of lead markets and demand for sustainable
building materials, exploring also the potential of buildings to store
carbon in sustainably sourced construction materials. We view as
essential the development of circularity based on the durability,
reuse and recycling of building materials and equipment. We commit to
increase the availability and disclosure of domestic data on the
embodied carbon of our buildings with the aim of enabling targeted
policies to, e.g., reduce life cycle emissions and use the carbon
storage potential of buildings. We commit to increase national efforts
to decarbonise building heating and cooling systems by using
appropriate policy tools, including regulations and incentives, with
the ultimate objective of transitioning away from fossil fuels. We
will therefore take a phased approach to work towards new heating and
cooling systems being zero carbon-ready and or interconnected to an
increased share of renewable energy, and also aim to accelerate the
transition away from the installation of new fossil fuel boilers. In
addition, we will support the roll-out of heat-pumps and the rapid
phase-in of more climate-friendly refrigerants. To reduce the carbon
emissions from our existing buildings and increase their climate
resilience, we will increase our annual rates
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for renovations and retrofits, with special emphasis on the worst
performing buildings and on public buildings. We will promote reaching
zero carbonready/zero emission new buildings, ideally by 2030 or
sooner, reflecting also the role of buildings in facilitating the
deployment of zero emission transport such as via charging
infrastructure and parking provisions. We will support the training of
professionals working in the buildings sector to help achieve our
climate objectives. We note the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment
initiated by the World Green Building Council and signed by
businesses, cities and regional governments. We call in particular on
the private sector to increase its contribution to reducing emissions
from buildings globally. We will increase our efforts to support the
transformation of the buildings and construction sector in partner
countries. We recognise the role of the Global Alliance for Buildings
and Construction as a critical international forum to advance the
sector’s transition towards climate neutrality globally and engage
with national governments.
83. Resilient and net-zero-emission cities: We acknowledge the
important role of cities, regions and local governments in
implementing a just climate and energy transition and in making the
transition socially acceptable in the context of local needs and
environmental conditions. We acknowledge cities and urban areas are
critical global systems to combat the triple crises of climate change,
biodiversity loss and pollution. At the same time, cities and their
residents are vulnerable to climate change impacts, and we acknowledge
the need to reduce vulnerability by increasing adaptive capacity.
Smart, sustainable and resilient cities can act as a laboratory for a
future with net zero emissions, through the development of innovative
and sustainable energy solutions based on the key role of renewable
energies, sustainable mobility, demand side management and the active
participation of energy consumers. We note that, with the SDGs as a
roadmap, global urbanisation presents an opportunity, inter alia, for
transformational and climate resilient adaptation and to significantly
reduce greenhouse gas emissions as recognised in the IPCC’s 2018
Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C and the contributions of
Working Groups I, II and III to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
respectively. We note the immediate emission reduction potential of
cities and the importance of avoiding locking in carbon in
fast-growing cities. Mayors and other local stakeholders have a key
role to play in this transformation, including through bottom-up
initiatives such as strengthening municipal planning capacities and
city networks. In that regard, we stress the urgent need to accelerate
investments in decarbonised and resilient urban planning and
infrastructures, including through Nature-based Solutions to intensify
progress on power system decarbonisation, digitalisation and effective
utilisation of demand- and supply-side resources as one strategic
priority, particularly in partner countries. We underline that the
urban system transformation needs to be driven to a large extent at,
by and with local levels of government and we will consider the
potential and needs of subnational actors as one strategic priority in
infrastructure investments and initiatives including for a green
recovery and a just and inclusive transition. We will facilitate
international city-to-city collaboration towards decarbonisation.
G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’
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84. Carbon dioxide removal: We recognise that the IPCC's latest
analysis shows that almost all pathways that limit global warming to
1.5 °C with limited or no overshoot project the use of carbon dioxide
removal (CDR) on the order of 100–1000 GtCO2 over the 21st century.
While bearing in mind the risks and limitations associated with some
of these technologies, we commit to working together to investigate
the efficacy of particular applications and as appropriate accelerate
the scale-up of CDR technologies, underlining that CDR cannot replace
but must supplement urgent action on decarbonisation and reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions. While it remains imperative to protect,
restore and expand our natural carbon sinks, including through
Nature-based Solutions, we also recognise that additional negative
emissions technologies with robust social and environmental
safeguards, such as Bioenergy with Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
(BECCS) and Direct Air Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (DACCS),
could also play a role in reaching net zero emissions, and are poised
to see significant cost declines over this decade with further
innovation and deployment. Carbon dioxide removal can contribute to
lowering net emissions in the nearterm, to offsetting residual
emissions in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise completely in
the mid-term, and to achieving net negative emissions in the long-term
if deployed at levels exceeding annual residual emissions. Technical
solutions such as CCUS and carbon recycling though not necessarily
negative emissions technologies on their own, can reduce emissions
from large-scale energy and industrial sources that cannot be avoided
otherwise, and can be of relevance for some countries in meeting the
goal of a net zero economy. To that end, we commit to provide
innovation funding to further lower the costs of these technologies,
and recognise such initiatives as the Mission Innovation Carbon
Dioxide Removal Initiative and the First Movers Coalition.
G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’
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