Advertisement
Heads of world’s 20 biggest economies kick off two days of talks on climate change, Covid-19 ahead of COP26 summit
- Italian PM Mario Draghi greeted leaders from an array of countries for the first face-to-face summit in two years
- A draft communique shows major countries are likely to only slightly toughen their pledges on climate action
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
The heads of the world’s 20 biggest economies kicked off two days of talks on Saturday where they were set to acknowledge the existential threat of climate change, but stop short of radical new commitments to tame global warming.
Advertisement
Looming over the two-day talks in Rome is pressure to make headway on tackling global warming, ahead of the key COP26 summit kicking off in Glasgow on Monday.
The stakes are high, with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warning G20 leaders on Friday to show “more ambition and more action” and overcome mistrust in order to advance climate goals.
“We are still on time to put things on track, and I think the G20 meeting is the opportunity to do that,” Guterres said.
A draft communique seen by Reuters shows major countries are likely to only slightly toughen their pledges on climate action, while failing to set tough new targets that activists say are vital to prevent environmental catastrophe.
Advertisement
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi greeted leaders from an array of countries, including United States President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first face-to-face G20 summit in two years as the Covid-19 pandemic starts to ebb.
Advertisement