By Crispian Balmer
ROMA, 28 Oct – The first steps towards the uncertain success of the climate summit to be held next month in Glasgow could be made this weekend, when the leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world hold their first face-to-face meeting in two years.
However, the path is not without obstacles. The members of the G20 They are divided on issues such as the phase-out of coal and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving a narrow margin for diplomats to forge an agreement before the meeting on 30-31. October.
Many of the leaders who will come to Rome, including US President Joe Biden, will fly to Scotland immediately afterward to attend the United Nations climate summit, known as COP26, which is considered vital to cope with the threat of rising global temperatures.
In the COP26 almost 200 countries participate, but the bloc of G20which includes Brazil, China, India, Germany and the United States, is the dominant force, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s gross domestic product, 60% of its population and an estimated 80% of global emissions greenhouse gases
“The time for diplomatic niceties is over. If governments, especially those of the G20, do not stand up and lead this effort, we are heading for terrible human suffering ”, said last week the secretary general of the HIM-HER-IT, Antonio Guterres.
In a setback for the hopes of a forceful response from the G20Biden’s expectations of heading to Europe with a firm domestic agreement on climate policy have been greatly diminished due to political divisions in the United States over a broader spending package.
Much to the disappointment of the host of the meeting, Italy, the leaders of China, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia have declined to attend the meeting, which will be held in the suburban complex of Rome known as the Esposizione Universale Roma, built by the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly declined to attend due to concerns over the pandemic in COVID-19, but it is expected that the debates will continue through a videoconference, according to diplomatic sources.
PANDEMIC
After the COVID-19 would make the summit of G20 last year was celebrated by virtual means, the consequences of the health emergency will feature prominently in this year’s Rome talks, as Italy wants the major economies to coordinate the global recovery.
Fears about rising energy prices and supply chain tension are likely to be addressed, as well as the need to reform the World Trade Organization (OMC).
The leaders of the G20 They will also pass a minimum corporate tax of 15% for large companies globally, an agreement that was closed earlier this month and that Italy has celebrated as a great achievement of its presidency of the G20, which has lasted a year.
Italy has also been proud of the summit it organized in May, which resulted in the commitment of rich nations to supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine from COVID-19 to the poorest regions, as well as an agreement to channel emergency reserves from the International Monetary Fund to countries with fewer resources.
“Given the international situation, I think Italy can be satisfied with its presidency of the G20. But hopefully more agreements can be reached on decarbonization, ”said Antonio Villafranca, director of studies at the Italian Institute for International Policy Studies.
One of the aspects in which the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, aims to reach a consensus is the commitment to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels, another of the fronts of the battle to stop greenhouse gases responsible for warming the earth’s atmosphere.
One of the thorniest issues will be the need for rich nations to deliver on their 2009 commitment to provide poor countries with $ 100 billion a year to help them adapt to climate change.
Although in 2015 they agreed to extend this goal until 2025, its fulfillment is still a pending task, which some poor countries and climate activists now consider insufficient.
The meeting of the G20 It will take place in a futuristic convention center called “La Nube”, with various events scheduled at some of the many historic sites in central Rome, including a gala dinner at the presidential palace.
The Italian Interior Ministry has declared that between 5,000 and 6,000 police officers and some 500 soldiers will be deployed to ensure the safety of the meeting. Airspace over Rome will be closed and border controls will be tightened to try to keep potential rioters out.
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