Approaching June G7 Summit: Climate Change Commitments Multiply

The climate agenda will be the focus of the G7 summit, chaired by Italy and scheduled to take place from June 13 to 15 in Borgo Egnazia, Puglia. Preparations are well underway, and G7 commitments are multiplying, ranging from “collective efforts to reduce global fossil fuel methane emissions by 75%, particularly by reducing the intensity of methane emissions from oil and gas operations by 2030” to the possibility of “permanently phasing out coal by 2035.”

This is what is written in the final document signed on April 30 in Venaria (Italy) by the G7 energy ministers, which emphasizes how “the measures being implemented are carried out through the development of a solid methodology and in close cooperation with non-G7 producers.” In addition, the G7 will commit to “accelerate methane measures that will ensure methane emission reduction of at least 35% by 2035, as reflected in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios.” The IPCC, the main international expert body for assessing climate change, has sounded the alarm about the potentially catastrophic consequences for humanity if average temperatures rise by 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era.

In addition, the G7 energy ministers agreed to establish the G7 Water Coalition. “Recognizing the importance of water for sustainable development, prosperity, peace, and the need for concrete action, we commit ourselves to establish the G7 Water Coalition,” the ministers wrote in the just-signed outcome document. The objective is to “identify common goals and strategies to stimulate shared ambitions and priorities in addressing the global water crisis and emphasize the role of multi-sectoral approaches; effectively and coherently integrate water and its cross-sectoral relevance into the existing forum, particularly by increasing political attention to water at the global level and integrating other global initiatives into the processes initiated by the G7.” The Coalition pledges to “promote effective, inclusive, and equitable policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The G7 ministerial meeting was accompanied by clashes in central Turin between police and hundreds of demonstrators who took part in an anti-G7 march organized by the Askatasuna social center and student groups. Police first used shields to repel demonstrators, then resorted to water cannons and tear gas, and finally batons. Demonstrators who wanted to head to the hotels where the delegations were staying and to Palazzo Madama, the site of the gala, continued to move through the city center in search of places, but police cordons blocked all possible routes. Eggs, smoke bombs, and several bottles were thrown at the police a few times from the demonstration.