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With G20 talks split on coal and fossil fuels, observer says ‘it needs China’s decision’
- Ministers meeting in Naples failed to reach agreement on ending international financing of coal and when to phase it out
- Greenpeace adviser says now is a good time for Beijing to make these commitments, particularly to stop funding overseas plants
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Beijing’s decisions on coal could have an important impact on two key issues that divided Group of 20 rich nations in talks last week, according to Chinese observers.
G20 energy and environment ministers agreed to accelerate the transition to clean energy to tackle climate change during the summit in Naples.
But they were split on when to phase out coal and ending international funding for coal “despite a prolonged and tireless discussion”, according to a G20 presidency statement on Friday.
Most nations agreed on the urgency of the two actions – accelerating decarbonisation in the next decade by setting a date to phase out unabated coal, and stopping international public financing of unabated coal power generation and phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by a certain date.
However, the statement said a consensus could not be reached, and Italy, which holds the G20 rotating presidency, would forward the discussion to the leaders’ summit in October.
That summit is seen as a critical step towards the United Nations climate talks, or COP26, to be held in Glasgow in November that is expected to be the most important meeting on climate change since the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015.
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