G20 deal on fossil fuels stalled after Saudi protests

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Several countries, led by Saudi Arabia, have blocked a G20 move to reduce fossil fuel use, the latest sign of global tensions over the future role of oil, gas and coal as the world grapples with climate change.

The G20 countries on Saturday released a summary document after several days of intense discussions hosted by India in Goa. It added that some member states have stressed the need to cut fossil fuel use without imposing emissions controls “in line with different national circumstances”. But other people “had different views on the matter”.

Instead those countries want to focus on developing technology to control greenhouse gas emissions.

Several people familiar with the talks said Saudi Arabia was leading the effort to phase out fossil fuels and was supported by several other countries.

Russia and China have consistently opposed the move in previous talks, and they blocked an agreement at the UN climate summit in Egypt late last year.

The G7 countries have already agreed to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels.

Saturday’s gathering also failed to make progress on setting global targets for renewable energy development.

The standoff comes as countries around the world are facing extreme weather including extreme heatwaves and floods.

The European Union has been a leading supporter of efforts to move away from fossil fuels, which account for about three-quarters of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Eldon Meyer, senior associate at consultancy E3G, said the G20 meeting displayed “sharp differences around the need for a fair, swift and equitable transition away from fossil fuels”.

“With temperature records being set daily around the world and the effects of climate change spiraling out of control, the world needs to hear a clarion call to action,” he said. “Instead, what we got was very weak tea.”

Speaking at the end of the meeting, India’s Energy Minister RK Singh acknowledged that the reduction of fossil fuel production was a “leading point” in the discussion. He said a large part of the G20 was in favor of it and it was a “great summit”.

India has set a target of reaching net zero by 2070, while China has set a target of 2060.

A report prepared for India’s G20 presidency estimates the cost of energy transition globally at $4tn per year and stresses the need for finance for developing countries; It has become a major demand of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

Failure to reach an agreement is likely to put pressure on the UAE to intensify discussions with ministers and leaders. It will host COP28 in December.

Earlier this month, COP28 President-designate Sultan Al-Jaber laid out his vision for the climate summit, which focuses heavily on climate finance for poor countries to help them deal with the consequences of global warming, as well as the rapid expansion of renewable energy.

They also set a “mid-century” target for a reduction in the use of fossil fuels produced without controlling emissions. This is far ahead of previous goals.

Global emissions need to be cut by 43 percent by 2030 to prevent temperatures from rising 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with scientists warning of potentially irreversible changes to the planet and catastrophic consequences for citizens.

But according to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world is on track for a temperature rise of between 2.4C and 2.6C by 2100. The temperature has already risen by at least 1.1C.

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