The leaders of the world’s largest economies did not make much progress to unblock climate negotiations on Monday, November 18, during a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, impacted by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva heads the forum this year, as multilateralism, already in disrepair, threatens to suffer even more damage with Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House.
Lula can boast of having been able to launch a “global alliance against hunger and poverty”, a coalition of 82 countries. He also managed to obtain a common commitment to cooperate to impose “Indeed” the luckiest ones.
But the 20 most advanced countries were especially expected in climate matters, while the COP29 in Baku did not allow, in more than a week, to draw up an agreement between rich countries and emerging countries on who should finance adaptation to climate change. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged them on Sunday to assume their “leadership” and do “commitments” to unblock negotiations.
Without reference to what was obtained at COP28
The result is far from meeting expectations. The G20 leaders did not include in their final declaration the commitment to “carry out a fair, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems”which was taken away during the last COP in Dubai.
And if they recognize “the need to increase climate finance” and take it to “trillions of dollars, from all sources”They do not specify who will put their hand in their pocket. However, this is precisely where negotiations at the climate conference in Azerbaijan are failing.
“The leaders are passing the ball to Baku, but the problem is that those making the decisions are in Rio”Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of the NGO Global Citizen, reacted to Agence France-Presse. “They were not up to the challenge”he added, regretting that there was no “even a reference to what was obtained at COP28” last year in Dubai.
The members of the G20 (19 countries, plus the European Union and the African Union) account for 85% of global GDP and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
long range missiles
Beyond the tensions linked to climate issues, the major conflicts of the moment have shaken the summit. From the first plenary session, US President Joe Biden called on the G20 countries to support the “sovereignty” of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who had already missed the last summits, is notably absent in Rio, where he is represented by his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.
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Joe Biden’s call takes on special resonance at a strategic moment: on Sunday the United States authorized kyiv to use its long-range missiles to attack deeply into Russian territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron ruled on Monday “fairly good” Washington’s decision. But he considered that the joint statement published on Monday night “I would have benefited from being more explicit”.
Without condemning Moscow, the G20 condemned “the threat or use of force to seek territorial gains”. and greeted “all relevant and constructive initiatives in favor of a just peace” AND ” sustainable “ in Ukraine.
The G20 also called for a “cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as the Israeli army continues its offensives there.
Xi Jinping appears as the strong man at the top
The American president participates in one of his last major international meetings before handing over the keys to the White House to Donald Trump, a self-confessed isolationist. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has presented himself as the strong man of the G20, warned that “The world is entering a new period of turbulence and change”during an interview with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
During the summit, the Argentine president, Javier Milei, an ally of Donald Trump, stood out. The far-right libertarian, who maintains terrible relations with Lula, rejected “several points” of the agreement to fight poverty, in particular “greater state intervention”. After snubbing the Alliance Against Hunger, his country changed its mind. “Argentina only expressed some reservations”minimized a Brazilian diplomatic source.
