June 3, 2021
John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, urged members of the Group of 20 (G-20) to join agreements the Group of Seven (G-7) made Friday, May 21 to reduce emissions to combat rising temperatures, according to a story from The Hill.
The G-7 on Friday said in a joint policy paper that it would stop international funding of coal projects by 2022 and work on phasing out all such funding for any project using fossil fuels.
Beyond that, the member countries reaffirmed their commitments to phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 and said they would work to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of global land and ocean by 2030.
“We do call on all G20 countries now, and all other major economies to join with us. This is not just a one-off event, we hope. It is critical to the goals that we all have for Glasgow,” Kerry told a news conference, referencing a meeting set to take place in November.
The Biden administration has said tackling climate change is one of its top priorities but that international cooperation will be key to slow the planet’s rising temperature.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan touted the progress made at the G-7, saying it would lay out a road map to addressing climate change.
“I’m proud to endorse the G7 Climate and Environment Ministers Statement, which includes concrete steps to combat the urgent threat of the climate crisis while lifting up vulnerable communities across the world,” Regan said in a statement.