Stockholm (NordSIP) – Heads of State from the Group of 20 (G20) nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for their annual summit on 18-19 November 2024, an event which marked the end of the South American country’s year-long presidency of the forum. The G20 members together represent 85% of the world’s GDP, and chose the occasion to reiterate their commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement in their joint declaration. It is hoped that the message will be heard loud and clear by delegates at the ongoing COP29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The UN-sponsored series of conferences of the parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has come under mounting criticism for its choice of petrostate host countries, growing lobbying problem, and slow progress towards meaningful global climate action. The G20 declaration states that the leaders of these 20 largest global economies remain committed to multilateral efforts to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to “lead bold, timely, and structural actions” at national level towards this goal. The nations reaffirmed their adherence to the ambitions of the UAE Consensus declared at COP28 in Dubai, and the related work on updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) stemming from the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement (GST-1).
While the reaffirmation of common climate goals sends a positive message to COP29, some observers thought the G20 declaration did not go far enough. Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI) highlighted some of these mixed signals: “The G20 Leaders’ Summit has reaffirmed that just, equitable climate action must remain at the center of the global agenda. Negotiators in Baku should build on the G20 Leaders’ Summit and rally behind a strong new climate finance goal. The shadow of Donald Trump’s recent election in the United States was expected to cast a shadow over the G20 Summit, yet leaders stood by their dedication to collaborate on some of the world’s most pressing issues, including financial reform, poverty, hunger and clean energy.” Nevertheless, Dasgupta believes the declaration could have been more emphatic: “Despite sending positive signals on the energy transition and the need to scale up renewable energy and improve energy efficiency, it’s unfortunate that the G20 failed to reiterate the commitment to shift away from fossil fuels, which all countries agreed to at COP28 in Dubai.”
The G20 summit also addressed other key sustainability challenges beyond climate change. Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the launch of a new Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative supported by 81 countries. These include all G20 nations despite Argentina president Javier Milei’s initial reluctance. President Lula described the hunger and poverty that afflicts roughly 733 million of the world’s population as a “scourge that shames humanity.” The global alliance’s membership also comprises non-governmental organisations (NGOs), philanthropic foundations, and international financial institutions including the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Further criticism was levelled at the G20 declaration for its weak wording relating to the war in Ukraine. Representatives of several G7 nations were absent when that section of the declaration was finalised, and subsequently expressed their frustration that references to Russia’s responsibility for the crisis had been watered down.
COP29 negotiations continue until 22 November in Baku, with periodic updates available from NordSIP as well the official conference media hub.
