The yellow flowers were described in a paper published in a recent edition of the journal PhytoKeys.
The species is named after the Beipanjiang River Basin in Panzhou City, where a team of botanists first found the specimen in October 2019 during a field survey.
Xu Jian, a member of the team and a researcher with the Guizhou Botanical Garden, said.
Botanists have so far located about 5,100 plants of the species mostly in the humid valley environment 1,300-1,500 meters above sea level.
The new species, which flowers in October and November, is similar to some other impatiens species in morphology but has significant differences in its sepals, pollen, seed, and other traits, according to researchers.
Mongolia has planted a total of 42 million trees across the country since the launch of its national tree-planting campaign in 2021, the country’s presidential press office said on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
Tree planting
In addition, at least 63 million seedlings had so far been stocked, it said, urging the public to actively take part in the upcoming National Tree Planting Day.
The land-locked Asian country is expected to observe the country’s largest tree-planting and nature care event on May 11.
In October 2021, Mongolia launched the nationwide tree-planting campaign “Billion Trees’’ as the country’s President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh told the UN General Assembly.
He said that the campaign aimed to plant at least a billion trees by 2030 to combat desertification.
Desertification related to climate change has been the main factor behind the increasing frequency of yellow dust storms in Mongolia in recent years, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism said.
Desertification and land degradation have already affected 77 per cent of Mongolia’s total territory, and 11.89 per cent of that is now covered by forests, according to the ministry.
The Minister of State for Environment, Mr Isiaq Salako, says the Federal Government is on course to end open defecation by 2025.
Minister of State for Environment, Isiaq Salako
Salako said this at the public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment, on the need to end open defecation in Nigeria and increase the number of toilets annually.
“The ministry initiated a programme titled ‘Clean and Green’ in which one of it is aimed among others to eliminate Open defecation by 2025.”
The minister said this would ensure sustainable total sanitation and implementation of green technology initiatives in Nigeria.
He said that the Ministry is implementing community-based intervention on the control of open defecation programmes nationwide.
Salako said this had the components of sensitisation, awareness campaign and construction, provision of public toilets with solar-powered boreholes.
According to him, the programme has been implemented in FCT, Nasarawa, Niger and Abia states, and the ministry intends to scale up the project to other states of the Federation.
He said that the ministry was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Nigeria develops in harmony with the environment.
The minister added that the government would ensure environmental protection and natural resources conservation for sustainable development.
Rep. Pondi Gbabojor, Chairman, House Committee on Environment, called on the Federal Government and its agencies at all levels, to take deliberate action to mitigate the living conditions of Nigerians.
He said this includes those whose statutory duties border on conservation of the environment, provision of succor to victims of disasters.
Others, he said, include environmental remediation and infrastructure providers.
“As representatives of the people, it is our duty to call on the authorities of the state to address these challenges comprehensively.
He added that they should strive to ensure the implementation of sustainable solutions that prioritise the safety and well-being of our citizens.
The Bayelsa State Government has urged the United Nations to support efforts towards tackling environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State
Gov. Douye Diri made the appeal on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Otuan, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, during an assessment visit to a police station donated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Represented by his deputy, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Diri said that the region was facing environmental injustice following the activities of oil companies.
He said that there was need for stakeholders to work together towards tackling the environmental challenges in the region.
“We call on the EU, development partners and environmental rights organisations to support the Niger Delta in tackling this challenge.
“We need to work together in engaging the international oil companies to address all manner of environmentally unwholesome practices in the region.
“We have witnessed gas flaring and oil spillage occurring unchecked for decades in the region, it is unfair,” he said.
The governor identified outbreak of strange diseases and death as some of the effects of the “recklessness” by oil companies in the area.
Diri said that the state government had taken several steps to seek redress, including making a case before the United Kingdom’s parliament.
The governor further urged the international community to support the state in the area of youth development in order to curb drug abuse and crime.
Earlier, the Amananaowei of Otuan, Christopher Okoto, thanked UNODC for choosing the community for its rural development and security project.
The paramount ruler of Otuan, urged the state government to expand the youth development centre and to build a mechanised cassava processing factory in the community.
African Development Bank Group (AfDB) President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, has emphasised the critical need for significantly increased financing to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina
Speaking at the Islamic Development Bank’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Riyadh on April 29, 2024, he highlighted a growing annual financial shortfall of $4 trillion, a gap that threatens to derail efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
Adesina addressed a distinguished audience including high-level officials, financial leaders and private sector representatives gathered to mark the occasion. The session focused on assessing the financial strategies essential for advancing global development amidst a landscape marked by economic instability and escalating environmental challenges.
AfDB President said the current annual gap of $4 trillion, up from $2.5 trillion in 2015, has been propelled by recent global economic pressures and the lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. He detailed the critical role of multilateral development banks in addressing these needs through increased collaboration and innovative financial solutions.
Strategic Response to Pressing Global Issues
Adesina also spotlighted the African Development Bank’s strategic High 5 programme as a cornerstone for progress, as underscored by an independent analysis by the United Nations Development Programme. The High 5s – namely: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa – are not just ambitious goals but a strategic blueprint for the continent. Achieving these High 5s, he pointed out, would mean accomplishing nearly 90% of the Sustainable Development Goals for Africa.
In this regard, Adesina highlighted five core areas where immediate action and innovative funding are crucial: climate change, food security, energy access, health security, and mobilising more resources for SDGs.
Climate Change: The African Development Bank president Adesina described climate change as the most significant challenge to achieving the SDGs, detailing the devastation it brings to economies through droughts, floods, and cyclones. Africa is the worst affected region in the world, yet it receives the least in terms of climate financing. “Africa will need $277 billion per year to address climate change, yet it receives only $30 billion annually.” The African Development Bank, Adesina said, “has set a target to raise $25 billion for climate adaptation by 2025.”
Food Security: He also addressed the issue of volatile food prices exacerbated by geopolitical conflicts, supply disruptions and trade restrictive practices of some major food exporters. Adesina reiterated the African Development Bank’s commitment of $25 billion to support Africa become self-sufficient in food by 2030. He shared with the audience key successes in transforming agricultural productivity and food security across Africa. He mentioned the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, which has already delivered climate-resilient crop varieties of wheat, maize, and rice to 13 million farmers.
Ethiopia, through the introduction of heat-tolerant wheat varieties provided by the TAAT programme, has achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production within four years and has become a net exporter of wheat. He thanked the Islamic Development Bank for committing $7 billion during the Feed Africa summit held early last year by the African Development Bank, the African Union and the government of Senegal. The summit brought together 34 heads of state and government who developed country-led food and agricultural delivery compacts to achieve food security by 2030.
Energy Access: Highlighting the disparity in electricity access, where over 675 million people worldwide lack electricity with 80% of them in sub-Saharan Africa, he underscored the Bank’s efforts through the Desert-to-Power initiative. This project is developing 10,000 megawatts of solar power across the Sahel and will provide electricity access for 250 million people.
Health Security: With a significant gap in health services in Africa, Adesina advocated for increased investment in health infrastructure and local pharmaceutical capacities to prepare for future pandemics. He pointed to the current annual investment of $4.5 billion in health infrastructure as significantly insufficient when measured against the actual need of $25 billion. He emphasised the need for self-reliance in healthcare, particularly in preparation for future pandemics, citing the hard lessons that Africa learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.
To counteract this, the African Development Bank Group has committed $3 billion towards quality health infrastructure and a further $3 billion for developing the pharmaceutical industry in Africa. This includes a substantial investment to facilitate the production of medicines and vaccines directly on the continent, bolstered by the creation of the Africa Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, which aims to broaden access to vital technologies and intellectual property rights.
Mobilising Resources: Addressing the need for innovative financing, the African Development Bank president spoke of groundbreaking steps taken by the African Development Bank, such as the issuance of $750 million in landmark hybrid capital. This financial instrument, a first for multilateral development banks, is intended to serve as equity, enhancing the Bank’s lending capacity.
He also said that, in a joint initiative with the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank is pioneering the use of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) as hybrid capital, subject to approval by the IMF’s board. This move could potentially quadruple the Bank’s leverage capacity, significantly amplifying the financial resources available for SDGs.
Additionally, Adesina underscored the pivotal role of the private sector in scaling up SDG investments from billions to trillions. He advocated for harnessing the power of the $128 trillion in global institutional investor assets through more extensive use of guarantees, development of investable projects, and addressing foreign exchange and currency risks.
In his introductory remarks, the president of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr Mohammed Al Jasser, said crises such as climate change, the pandemic, and ongoing conflicts continue to threaten the hard-won gains achieved over decades.
In addition, Al Jasser said “the stark reality we face is that the global financial system has not kept pace with the urgency required to realize the SDGs. We must collectively work towards a global financial system that fosters a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.”
“It is within this context that Islamic finance adds value – prioritising not just financial returns, but the holistic well-being of individuals and our planet. Its principles of shared prosperity, risk-sharing, and ethical investment present a clear path toward bridging the SDGs financing gap,” he said.
Engaging Global Leaders for Collective Action
In his call to action to achieve the ambitious goals set forth by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Adesina said, “the call by the UN Secretary General for a $500 billion per year SDG stimulus package should be fully supported.”
“The developed countries need to increase support by devoting at least 0.70% of their gross national income to official development assistance,” Adesina added, among other critical actions.
His message was clear: “Let’s give hope to the world by delivering on these goals for a sustainable and equitable future!”.
Later on Sunday, Adesina held a series of bilateral meetings with key government officials and development institutions in Riyadh.
The Bank Group president together with the CEO of Saudi Exim Bank, Eng. Saad Al-Khalb, signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral trade and cooperation between the Kingdom and the African continent. Saudi Arabia’s Governor to the African Development Bank, Deputy Chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, Dr Ryadh M. Alkhareif, witnessed the signing of the MoU.
The Saudi Fund for Development and the African Development Bank Group also signed a memorandum of understanding to promote sustainable international development by financing projects and programmes in beneficiary countries in Africa.
The agreement was signed at the Fund’s headquarters by the CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, and Adesina.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Ryadh bin Mohammed Alkhareif, and SFD’s Executive Vice President, Eng. Faisal bin Mohammad Al-Qahtani.
Through the MoU, the two sides will work to exchange experiences and knowledge, promote best practices in co-financing, contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and maximise development impact, among others.
Every year on May 3, the world turns its attention to one of nature’s most exquisite and elusive creatures – the leopard – during International Leopard Day. This special day serves not only to celebrate the stunning beauty and incredible adaptability of leopards but also to highlight the urgent need for their conservation
Leopard (Panthera pardus), listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
The leopard (Panthera pardus) stands out as one of the five “big cats” in the genus Panthera. This species is renowned for its elusiveness and aesthetic appeal but also for its remarkable adaptability and physical prowess. Leopards are distinguished by their well-muscled bodies, relatively short legs, and long tails, which aid in their excellent balance. An adult leopard is significantly strong, capable of hauling prey much heavier than itself up into the branches of trees. Leopards climb and rest in trees for several strategic reasons.
Trees provide a safe haven from ground predators like lions and hyenas, and allow leopards to store their prey safely away from scavengers. Being elevated also offers leopards a better view for spotting prey and monitoring their surroundings, which aids in hunting. Additionally, trees offer a cooler, shaded environment for resting, especially in hot climates. This behavior not only helps leopards manage their energy and temperature but also serves as a territorial marker to signal their presence to other leopards.
The leopard’s coat is unique with its gold base and dark spots, which help it blend into its surroundings and sneak up on prey. These spots are different from the cheetah’s simple spots or the tiger’s bold stripes, making the leopard’s camouflage very effective in various environments. Depending on where the leopard lives, its coat can vary in color and pattern, helping it hide better and hunt successfully. This special coat is key to the leopard’s ability to live in many different places around the world.
In terms of behaviour, leopards are nocturnal and highly territorial. They use their keen senses of hearing and sight for hunting at night. Each individual leopard has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors, but they actively avoid one another to minimise conflict. These cats are famously versatile, not only in their choice of habitat but also in diet, consuming a range that includes insects, rodents, and large ungulates.
Leopards are divided into nine subspecies, and they have been adapted to survive in various geographic landscapes. Some of these are the African leopard (P. p. pardus) roams the savanna and dense forests of sub-Saharan Africa, while the critically endangered Amur leopard (P. p. orientalis) survives in the temperate forests of Eastern Russia and China. Other subspecies are scattered across regions in Asia and the Middle East, each with adaptations unique to their environments.
Currently, leopards are listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, though certain subspecies like the Javan and Amur leopards are categorised as “Critically Endangered”. Their numbers have significantly declined due to habitat loss, reduced prey base, conflict with humans, and illegal wildlife trade. In many cultural contexts, leopards are sought after for their beautiful pelts and other body parts used in traditional medicine and rituals.
Recent reports underscore a grim reality: habitat encroachment and poaching continue unabated. In some regions, leopards face retaliatory killings from farmers protecting livestock. Urban expansion has increasingly pushed these adaptable cats into closer quarters with humans, often leading to tragic consequences for both parties.
Various organisations and governments have initiated projects to safeguard the future of leopards. One of the forefront projects is the Leopard Conservation Project in South Africa, which focuses on mitigating human-leopard conflicts and researching leopard populations to inform conservation strategies. Similarly, the Snow Leopard Trust aims to protect this colder climate cousin of the leopard through community-based conservation projects that encourage herder participation.
Technological advancements such as the use of satellite imagery and camera traps are proving invaluable in studying leopard behaviour and tracking their movement patterns. These technologies help in creating effective conservation strategies that include establishing wildlife corridors and protected areas.
As we observe International Leopard Day, let us reflect on the beauty and resilience of the leopard, an animal that has walked the earth for millions of years, yet faces uncertainties about its future. Conservation efforts are in a race against time as each subspecies of leopard navigates a path riddled with threats.
The leopard’s plight reminds us of our broader obligation to preserve the natural world and its inhabitants. By supporting conservation efforts, promoting awareness, and advocating for policies that protect these majestic creatures, we can ensure that the whisper of the leopard’s soft paws will not be silenced in the wilds of our planet.
Let us pledge to be more than passive admirers of their grace and beauty; let us be active participants in their survival stories. After all, preserving leopards is not just about saving an iconic species – it’s about maintaining the health and diversity of ecosystems worldwide. A world with leopards is a world enriched with biodiversity, mystery, and wonder. Let’s keep it that way.
A new phase of work on one of the most important items currently on the global climate change agenda – setting a new goal on climate finance by the end of 2024 – got underway last week in Cartagena, Colombia.
The meeting marked a significant shift in the mode of work – from the technical to the political – to enable the development of a draft negotiating text for consideration at the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in November.
“A successful outcome on the new finance goal will be crucial to the overall success of COP29, but most significantly, it will set the course for the transformational change required to mobilise and deliver finance in a way that addresses the needs and priorities of developing countries,” said Daniele Violetti, Senior Director of Programmes Coordination at UN Climate Change.
From billions to trillions
In 2009, developed countries agreed to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries. In 2015, under the Paris Agreement, Parties agreed to extend this goal out to 2025 and to set a new finance goal, from a floor of $100 billion per year, for after 2025 taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries.
The scale of finance needed is significant – global models from the most authoritative institutions all converge in the range of trillions annually. The first Needs Determination Report of the Standing Committee on Finance in 2021 shows nearly $6 trillion is needed to implement developing countries’ climate action plans by 2030, and this does not fully cost for adaptation.
“A quantum leap this year in climate finance is both essential and entirely achievable,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in a recent speech. “Every day, finance ministers, CEOs, investors, and development bankers direct trillions of dollars. It’s time to shift those dollars from the energy and infrastructure of the past, towards that of a cleaner, more resilient future. And to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable countries benefit.”
Developing a new finance goal
The process of establishing the new finance goal was initiated at COP26 in 2021, where Parties established an ad hoc work programme, including a series of technical discussions to run until the end of 2024. The dialogues that have taken place so far have focused on some of the most critical technical aspects of the NCQG, including its time frame, structure, amount, the mobilisation and provision of various financial sources, quality, and transparency arrangements.
At COP28 in Dubai, Parties decided to transition to a mode of work that enables the development of a draft negotiating text in time for COP29. At least three TEDs will be held this year to allow in-depth discussion on the elements of the NCQG, as well as at least three meetings held back-to-back with the TEDs where Parties can craft the framework for a draft negotiating text.
The hallmark of these meetings is their inclusivity. The ad hoc work programme is open to all Parties and stakeholders. Since the beginning of this year, 36 submissions have been received (21 submissions from Parties and 15 from non-Party stakeholders) on the work to be carried out in 2024 and on the focus of discussions at TED9.
What happens next
As outlined in the co-chairs’ 2024 workplan, the technical expert dialogues will continue to allow for in-depth discussions on the elements of the NCQG. TED10 takes place at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in June, and TED11 takes place in the autumn. The dialogues will be informed by the outcomes of the meetings under the ad hoc work programme.
The ad hoc work programme will culminate in October when the co-chairs include in their annual report the substantive framework for a draft negotiating text for consideration at COP29.
The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4), concluded on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Ottawa with an advanced draft text of the instrument and agreement on intersessional work ahead of the fifth session (INC-5) in November.
A plenary session at INC-4. Photo credit: IISD / Kiara Worth
More than 2,500 delegates participated in INC-4, representing 170 Members and over 480 Observer organisations including – non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations, and UN entities. INC-4 marked the Committee’s largest and most inclusive gathering to date, with Observer participation increasing by almost 50%.
Over the course of INC-4, delegates worked on negotiating the Revised Draft Text of the international legally binding instrument. Delegates discussed, among other things: emissions and releases; production; product design; waste management; problematic and avoidable plastics; financing, and a just transition.
INC Members also agreed on intersessional work – expert meetings that take place between the official INC sessions – that is expected to catalyse convergence on key issues. In addition, Members decided to create an Open-ended Legal Drafting Group to form at INC-5, serving in an advisory capacity by reviewing elements of the draft revised text to ensure legal soundness.
“We came to Ottawa to advance the text and with the hope that Members would agree on the intersessional work required to make even greater progress ahead of INC-5. We leave Ottawa having achieved both goals and a clear path to landing an ambitious deal in Busan ahead of us,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “The work, however, is far from over. The plastic pollution crisis continues to engulf the world and we have just a few months left before the end of year deadline agreed upon in 2022. I urge members to show continued commitment and flexibility to achieve maximum ambition.”
The fourth session follows INC-1 in Punta del Este in November 2022, INC-2 in Paris in May/June 2023, and INC-3 in Nairobi in November 2023. INC-5 – set to be the end of the INC process – is scheduled for November 2024 in Busan, the Republic of Korea.
“Canada is committed to reaching a final agreement at INC-5 in the Republic of Korea before year end. We are no longer talking about ‘if’ we can get there, but ‘how’. Together we can land one of the most significant environmental decisions since the Paris Agreement and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “We are doing everything we can to raise the international profile of the plastic pollution crisis so that the agreement gets the global attention it deserves to cross the finish line.”
The Chair of the INC, Ambassador Luis Vayas, said: “During these seven days of intense deliberations, you – the delegates – have managed to build on and advance the revised draft text of the instrument, providing streamlined text and entering textual negotiations on several elements. At the same time, we also leave with a much clearer picture of the work that remains to be done, if we are to deliver on the promise that Members have made through UNEA Resolution 5/14.
“We are all united by our strong shared commitment to deliver an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. It is this spirit of multilateralism which has guided our discussions here in Ottawa,” he added. “We have found some common ground, and we are walking this path together until the end. I firmly believe that we can carry this same spirit forth to Busan to deliver on our mandate.”
Ambassador Vayas thanked the Government of Canada for hosting the session, as well as the Committee Members, Observers, co-facilitators, support staff, and the INC Secretariat, and his team.
“It has been an ambitious timeline of just 18 months and four sessions to get us to this point, and we are now firmly on the road to Busan. Compromise and commitment remain strong at this advanced stage of the negotiations,” said Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC Secretariat. “Members should arrive in Busan ready to deliver on their mandate and agree a final text of the instrument. This is more than a process – it is the fulfilment of your commitment to saving future generations from the global scourge of plastic pollution.”
The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has called on the Federal Government to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address the challenges of the power sector.
A power grid
APWEN President, Dr Adebisi Osim, gave the advice on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the inauguration of the Chairman of Ogbomosho Chapter of the association.
Osim, who was represented by Prof. Temitope Odetoye, a member of the association, said that AI had unprecedented opportunities to address the challenges in the power sector head-on and revolutionise it.
She said that advanced analytics and machine learning could optimise the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, by analysing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns, vulnerabilities, and areas for improvement.
“As we all know, the power sector plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of any nation,” Osim said.
According to her, reliable and affordable access to electricity is a cornerstone for industrial growth, job creation, and the overall improvement of living standards.
“But Nigeria’s power sector has long grappled with various impediments that have hindered its progress.
“These challenges range from inadequate generation capacity, aging infrastructure, and limited access to clean and renewable energy sources, to issues of corruption, policy bottlenecks, and inefficient distribution systems.
“But today, we stand at a turning point. We stand on the threshold of a new era, an era marked by the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“With AI solutions, we can tackle the technical aspects of the power sector with greater precision and efficiency.
“Predictive maintenance models can help us pre-emptively address equipment failures, reduce downtime, and enhance overall system reliability,” she said.
Osim said that AI could also play a significant role in addressing the non-technical aspects of the power sector.
“With the power of AI, we can improve energy access, affordability, and equity by developing innovative solutions for metering, billing, and revenue collection.
“AI-powered smart grids can enable real-time monitoring, demand forecasting, and load balancing, ensuring a more efficient and stable power supply,” she said.
Osim, however, cautioned that with the acceptability of AI, the challenges it presented must also be confronted.
She said that the deployment of AI technologies required a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, to address concerns of privacy, data protection, and ethics.
“We must guard against biases and ensure that AI solutions are developed inclusively, considering the diverse needs and perspectives of our society,” the president said.
The commitment to phase out unabated coal in the first half of the 2030s is not only inadequate but also exhibits an abject lack of urgency.
G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers in Italy
This submission was made by environment watchdog, Climate Action Network (CAN), in response to the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ joint communique, published on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in respect of which the group says that “new tangible, measurable commitments are few and far between”.
According to CAN, keeping the 1.5C warming limit within reach requires coal to be phased out completely in G7 countries (and other Annex 2 and OECD countries) no later than 2030, adding that “the hollow cover of abatement used by the G7 undermines the impact of commitments to end financial support for coal-based power.”
The group notes: “Even more disheartening is the section on transitioning away from fossil fuels, which instead of detailing clear plans and pathways to reducing oil and gas dependence, rests on abstract intent and dangerous, unproven technologies such as CCUS, nuclear power and fusion technology.
“It is now widely recognised that the scale of climate ambition is linked to the availability and access to finance, especially low-cost, low-risk finance. Although ministers have stressed on the importance of public, grant-based and concessional finance as a “crucial dimension” in supporting developing countries, the communique contains little information on how G7 countries plan to act on this acknowledgement.
“Instead, the communique is much clearer in its intent to significantly increase the use of blended finance and to mobilise private finance for clean energy development in developing countries, presumably at higher costs and risks of chronic indebtedness than grant based and concessional public finance.
“On adaptation, the G7 ministers have reaffirmed the commitment to doubling adaptation finance. Although ministers have agreed to prepare a report on the target, the communique remains silent on the inadequacy of this target and provides no roadmap for reaching this goal. On the positive side however, commitments also include the launch of a ‘G7 Adaptation Accelerator Hub’ to foster partnerships toward adaptation action in developing countries.
“Where the G7 ministers have succeeded in covering a wide scope of subjects, they have also provided little in terms of progressive action towards equitable and fair climate action. The communique, as much as it acknowledges the urgency of scaling up ambition and climate action, seeks to shift responsibility out of the purview of the G7 and the larger developed world.”
Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network, said: “The G7 has shown yet again a remarkable lack of ambition with regards to the provision of funding for developing countries to address the climate crisis. This group of rich nations easily finds the money to support wars and the fossil fuel industry but can never seem to find the funding to address the debt they owe for the climate crisis. The G7 needs to pay up and stop funding the wrong things.”
Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India, said: “The G7 countries – alone – are responsible for close to half – 42% – of carbon dioxide emitted since 1900, and 39% of fossil fuel consumption since 1965. As historical polluters, it is unacceptable that they are dragging their heels on phasing out the use of coal with a clear and urgent timeline. These countries also continue to heavily depend on oil and natural gas, despite possessing the resources to rapidly decarbonise their energy systems. This eats into the carbon space that developing countries ought to have access to as they improve prosperity and meet their developmental goals and puts us on a path of planetary devastation.
“Moreover, the focus on ‘unabated’ coal power dilutes the G7’s commitment further since it creates a loophole for unreliable technologies like carbon capture and storage that have thus far proved unsuccessful at capturing emissions at scale.”
Nithi Nesadurai, Director and Regional Coordinator, Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, said: “The commitment by G7 countries to only phase out unabated coal in the first half of 2030s is woefully inadequate. It indicates a lack of leadership and lack of urgency in addressing climate change. The decision against phasing out coal sooner places those in developing countries working on transitioning away from coal in a just manner at a disadvantage. We will now be faced with this question: If the world’s richest countries are not serious about phasing out coal sooner, why should we adopt more ambitious coal phase out dates.”
Tracy Carty, Global Climate Politics Expert, Greenpeace International, said: “The commitment to phase out coal is simply too little, too late. If they are serious and aligned with what the science says is needed to keep 1.5° within reach, G7 countries must ditch this dinosaur planet-wrecking fuel no later than 2030. And the climate emergency demands they just don’t stop at coal. Fossil fuels are destroying people and the planet and a commitment to rapidly phase out all fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – is urgently needed.
“Faced with climate catastrophe, the G7’s persistent endorsement of fossil gas is alarming. Fossil gas is not needed, not cheap and is certainly not a ‘bridge fuel’ to a safe climate. The biggest fossil fuel threat today by wealthy nations is coming from the rapidly expanding LNG industry. An urgent shift is needed towards less, not more, gas – and massively expanded renewables.”
Andreas Sieber, 350.org Associate Director of Global Campaigns, said: “The G7’s agreement to phase out domestic coal power in the first half of the 2030s is a hint of progress but leaves room for the more urgent phase out the climate crisis demands. To meet the Paris Agreement target G7 countries must phase out coal well before 2030 and continue to push for the G7 to commit to phase out all fossil fuels including oil, gas, and reject the adoption of dangerous technologies like nuclear.
“It is imperative that the world’s largest economies support the global renewable energy transition by providing finance at scale, particularly for the Global South, and urgently pull out of funding fossil fuels both at home and abroad.”
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Climate and Energy Lead, WWF, said: “This G7 pledge is an important signal that major economies are starting to get serious about the most polluting forms of energy. But if we are to progress toward the security and prosperity that a 100% renewable power generation system can bring, then these countries will need to phase out all coal by 2030. They must also make similar commitments to phase out oil and gas well before 2050. G7 countries have the opportunity to lead the world in setting the pace for climate action. They have the power to advance the energy sector transformation at the scale and pace needed to keep warming to 1.5°C. They must do better.”
Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada, said: “G7 Ministers – from the countries most responsible for the climate crisis – have started to consider what the Global Stocktake means for them domestically, but they have done so haphazardly. As the world’s largest historical polluters and producers of fossil fuels, they must reckon with the fact that limiting warming to 1.5°C requires a coal phase-out before 2030 and set timelines for a just transition away from oil and gas as well. Instead, their confusion on the role of public investments in gas undermines COP28’s signal on the energy transition.
“While the environment ministers recognize that trillions must be mobilized to meet the Paris Agreement goals, leaders and finance ministers must now put real money on the table towards a new finance goal to make a just transition a reality.
“The G7 Ministers’ communiqué is still some distance from what is required to keep the 1.5°C within reach. Canada will take over the G7 Presidency next year, exactly halfway through the critical decade. It must play a leadership role and steer G7 countries to ramp up efforts on transitioning away from fossil fuels in their NDCs, ending fossil fuel subsidies, meeting biodiversity finance commitments and increasing support for adaptation and loss and damage at home and abroad.”
Evan Gach, Node Coordinator, Climate Action Network Japan, said: “Setting a fundamental timeline for the phase-out of coal-fired power in-line with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C goal is a big step forward for the G7, and a strong signal to the world that we must significantly accelerate our exit from coal in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“However, the science has consistently pointed out that meeting the Paris goals requires the G7 countries to phase-out coal-fired power by 2030 at the latest. It is up to the G7 to play a leadership role and take serious and concrete steps to phase-out their domestic coal-fired power plants in a timeline consistent with the Paris Agreement goals, as well as supporting a global coal exit abroad.
“This starts with a commitment to acknowledge 1.5°C-consistent pathways and retire all domestic coal plants by 2030. It also means developing concrete roadmaps and implementing policy measures to ensure a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, ending plans to extend the life of coal power with unproven and ineffective technologies like hydrogen/ammonia co-firing, and providing adequate finance, technical assistance, and other forms of support for countries to accelerate their own transition away from fossil fuels.”
Candy Ofime, Amnesty International’s Climate Justice Researcher, said: “This is not the goal for coal we need, and it will not deliver climate justice. Commitments put forward by G7 members – which have burnt coal for power for more than a century – to stop using this pollutant by 2035 are simply too late and weakened by unacceptable caveats. The end of coal power generation cannot come soon enough for those experiencing the worst effects of the climate crisis.
“Coal is one of the dirtiest energy sources and its burning has immense health impacts, particularly in lower income countries and among marginalised, often racialised, frontline communities globally. Protection of human rights requires an urgent, full, fair and funded phase out of all fossil fuels. A just and equitable phase out means ending financing for coal production and coal energy everywhere. The rights of workers in the coal industry must be protected during this transition.
“There appears to be no curb in this deal on the use of coal for steel production, which accounts for about 30% of coal consumption, and the commitment to phase out just so-called ‘unabated’ coal is misleading. Abatement relies on the use of carbon capture and storage, and other technologies such as ammonia and hydrogen co-firing with coal, which are unproven at scale and can come with other risks. Coal pollution cannot be adequately abated, and harms health and the climate whenever it is used.
“This deal must not encourage an uptake of so-called natural gas, which is mostly methane, as an energy alternative. Its exploitation is increasingly associated with releases of this hugely potent greenhouse gas, which is a major contributor to global warming. As the world’s highest income countries, and among those most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, G7 states have the greatest responsibility to help lower income states to move away from all fossil fuels.”
