Faced with a climate emergency, the leaders of the G7 great powers rejected their plan of action on Sunday, the last day of their summit in England, which marked a new dynamism in favor of Western multilateralism led by the United States. .
Industrialized countries are tackling a climate emergency when they meet in Corbys Bay (south-west England), following the announcement of joint initiatives to respond to major global challenges, such as responding to China’s growing international influence and containing pandemics, For the first time in almost two years.
Time is running out, warned British star naturalist David Attenborough, 95. “The decisions we make during this decade – especially those of the most economically advanced countries – are among the most important in human history.”
The stakes are high for the United Kingdom, which seeks to lay the groundwork for consensus a few months before the major UN climate conference (COP26), which it will host in Glasgow in November.
It aims to limit the increase in temperature to below 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial era, a threshold beyond which scientists believe climate change will get out of hand.
To achieve this, G7 leaders will vote for a reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions by about half by 2030, a goal that some countries intend to exceed.
Coal is in their view, especially power plants powered by this fossil fuel, the most polluting – unless environmental compensation measures are in place, such as CO2 capture. Public assistance will be discontinued this year.
In this context, the leaders plan to sign checks worth up to $2 billion to support the green transition in disadvantaged countries.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “There is a direct link between reducing emissions, restoring nature, creating jobs and ensuring long-term economic growth.”
– “New Speed” –
Since the start of the summit on Friday, the leaders want to project the image of a united front on key issues.
Through work sessions and extras, US President Joe Biden attempts to rally his allies against Moscow and Beijing, a key objective of his European tour that should mark the “return” of the United States to the stage. . The post-Trump international era.
Her arrival in power brought “a new momentum” to the work of the G7, welcoming upon departure German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had a very difficult relationship with her predecessor.
But this is not to the taste of Beijing, which condemned the decisions taken by “a small group of countries”.
However, this image of good relations has been tarnished by differences between Europeans and British over Brexit and the thorny issue of Northern Ireland exposed in broad daylight.
Leaders from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Germany and Japan also examined the climate component of a massive global infrastructure plan presented on Saturday for disadvantaged countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America to encourage green growth. do. And try to counter Beijing on your own ground.
The G7 will also commit to increasing its contribution to the developed countries’ objective to finance climate policies of poor countries at a rate of $100 billion per year by 2025.
For environmental activists, these declarations are too soft or too vague: They want more action and fewer words. Greenpeace reiterated “old promises” and Extinction Rebellion called the summit a “flop”.
On the pandemic front, after promising to distribute a billion doses of anti-Covid vaccines to poor countries, the G7 embarked on a battle plan to prevent future pandemics after their vaccination campaigns fell short.
It is insufficient to deal with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sky News: “Millions of people will not be vaccinated and millions will die”.
After the final release and the traditional press conference, Joe Biden will have tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle before the NATO summit in Brussels and then in Geneva on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Poutin for a closer look.