Checking in on the state of global climate action
Last month, the leaders of the world's major industrialized nations got together, as they have every year since the early 1970s, to talk about matters of international importance. The pandemic was top of mind at the G7 summit, of course, but so was the climate crisis.
Just days before the summit, scientists had reported a new record for carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere—419 parts per million, the highest since accurate measurements began nearly 60 years ago.
The crisis is now impossible to ignore.
The G7, or Group of Seven, consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Together, their economies comprise nearly half the world's gross domestic product, about 10 percent of the world's population, and more than a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions. So, you know, they're kind of influential when they get together. As the European Commission's website puts it, "decisions taken at the G7 are not legally binding, but exert strong political influence."
So, what legally non-binding decisions did the G7 make regarding climate? Here's the topline summary:
- Reach net zero emissions no later than 2050
- Cut collective emissions in half by 2030
- Increase and improve climate finance over the next few years
- Conserve or protect at least 30 percent of each nation's land and oceans by 2030
Depending on whom you ask, this was a pretty good outcome or it was resoundingly lame.
Keep reading here.
