G20 leaders reach climate agreement, set carbon neutral goal ‘around mid-century’

Leaders at the G20 summit of the world’s biggest economies reached a compromise agreement on Sunday to achieve carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century,” laying a foundation for a United Nations conference in Scotland on climate change.

The Group of 20 leaders released a communique on Sunday, the second and final day of the summit, that called for halting the financing of coal-fired power generators abroad by the end of the year but did not set a target for phasing out coal domestically – a concession to top polluters China and India, the Associated Press reported.

The G20 countries – including the US, China, Brazil, Germany and India – represent more than three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The final document said current plans to contain emissions will have to be strengthened “if necessary.”

They also called for a cap on global warming at 1.5 Celsius, the threshold that UN experts say must be met to slow the quickening of catastrophic climate events like droughts, storms and floods. 

“We recognize that the impacts of climate change at 1.5°C are much lower than at 2°C. Keeping 1.5°C within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries,” the communique said, according to Reuters. 

The climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, begins Sunday.

With Post wires