European Commission urges G20 countries to set ambitious climate targets for 2030
European Commission on Saturday urgedG20 countries to agree to global targets on tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, seen as critical to limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Addressing the «One Earth» session at the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the urgency of addressing climate change, saying: «Climate change is man-made. So, it means we can fix it.»
She underscored the disproportionate impact of climate change, noting that G20 countries are responsible for a staggering 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while Africa, with less than 4 per cent of emissions, is among the most affected.
The European Commission president reminded the G20 countries that «we are about to miss our objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees».
«So, it is absolutely critical that we maintain our path of 1.5 degrees.
Only what gets measured gets done, we know this principle. We need to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency until 2030 if we are to reach our goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees,» she said.
She called for a global commitment at COP28 for renewable energy and energy efficiency targets to be reached by 2030, saying such global goals would serve as benchmarks for tracking progress and provide predictability to the private sector.
Addressing the financial aspect of climate action, von der Leyen said delivering on the USD 100 billion climate finance target this year is a must.
«The EU is doing its fair share, with USD 27 billion delivered in 2021, and I want to assure you that we will continue to do so,» she said.
The European Commission
