Governments fought over currencies and trade, but effectively ignored the clean energy revolution that can boost economies, create jobs, cut emissions and stop another global crisis - climate change (1).
As the only African president to participate in the talks, it was hoped that Jacob Zuma would take the opportunity to push the G20 into decisive actions on climate change in Africa. The Mail & Guardian reports that although he spoke of "big plans" for Africa's development, Zuma failed to place this in the context of green, sustainable development.
Greenpeace at G20 Rally in Canada
More than ten thousand braved wet weather to gather at Queen's Park in downtown Toronto and then march to the meeting area of the G20 summit. The message to the G20 leaders was: stop climate change, end fossil fuel subsidies, create good green jobs and a green energy system and improve social justice. 06/25/2010
“The G20 can use flowery words to plaster over deep differences in economic policy, but that will do nothing to alleviate poverty or save the climate,” said Daniel Mittler, Political Director of Greenpeace International.
Failing to Keep Promises
Questioning the G20's ability to follow through on its promises, Mittler continued: “The G20 is not even keeping its own promises, such as the commitment made last year to cut fossil fuel subsidies. If this group doesn´t act to cut the billions in taxpayers money handed out to big oil and coal before the next meeting in France, the G20 will prove irrelevant to this urgent task.”
This would be a tragedy, as the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates cutting fossil fuel subsidies would result in a cut of two gigatonnes of CO2 - or 5.8% of global energy-related climate changing CO2 emissions.
Despite the Korean host’s pledge to make following up previous commitments a priority, leaders failed to take any significant steps forward. “The G20 is failing to walk its talk at a time when subsidies to the tune of $100 billion per year continue to line the pockets of big oil and coal in the developed world alone” said Mittler.
Financing a Climate Fund
By merely "welcoming" the findings of the UN Secretary General´s Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, (2), the developed country members of the G20 failed to start delivering on the promise to provide $100 billion per year to fund developing country climate action – and adaptation.
Governments should have agreed to a roadmap on how they will implement innovative financial sources - such as a cutting fossil fuel subsidies and taxing air travel – to deliver $100 billion for a clean economy and climate protection.
“The G20 say that they commit to stimulate investment in clean energy technology´(4) - but how serious are they?” asked Mittler. “Eight million jobs could be created by 2030 if governments truly backed renewable energy and energy efficiency. In Seoul, they merely recycled old economic ideas and tried to pass them off as new by adding a green tinge.”
NOTES:
(1) Greenpeace has shown how energy can be delivered to all while cutting emissions in its “Energy Revolution” scenario, produced with the European Renewable Energy Council: www.greenpeace.org/energyrevolution
(2) See http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/climatechange/pages/financeadvisorygroup/pid/13300