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In theory, the world’s largest industrial democracy has agreed to stop using fossil fuels for more than a quarter of a century and switch to new energy sources such as solar and wind at a rapid pace.
But as Group of 7 leaders gather in Hiroshima, Japan, this weekend for their annual meeting, some countries are confused about whether to drop their commitment to end the use of carbon-producing fuels like natural gas and coal in time to prevent the worst. effects of global warming.
The final communique from the summit, released on Saturday afternoon, included language that Japan wants to bless continued investment in certain types of coal-fired power plants that the Japanese government is subsidizing. But leaders only modified language from last year’s meeting that supported some new investments in natural gas infrastructure. Germany, which pushed back its endorsement in 2022 as it grappled with replacing Russian gas imports after its invasion of Ukraine, has sought to expand its wording this year.
The behind-the-scenes battle underscores the political, economic and practical challenges many Group of 7 countries face as they seek to accelerate the global energy transition with trillions of dollars in government incentives.
Jarred by the invasion of Ukraine, countries in Europe are trying to quickly secure natural gas sources to keep the lights on. At the same time, countries like Japan and even to some degree the United States are seeking to protect long-standing investments in the fossil fuel industry at home or abroad.
The United States and its allies have moved rapidly over the past year to encourage investment in wind and solar power, electric vehicles, technologies to help with energy efficiency and other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global temperature increases. At the same time, they are taking what officials say are temporary but important measures to keep fossil fuels flowing to global markets, to prevent an electricity crisis in Europe and to hold down gasoline prices around the world.
Those efforts include a price cap measure for Russian oil that is considered a success at this weekend’s meeting. The cap effectively allows Russia to continue exporting oil, but at a discount; staying crude in the market has helped to keep down global gasoline prices.
But tensions have eased within the coalition over efforts by some countries to lock down access to fossil fuels for decades to come. According to three people familiar with the discussions, the German government, concerned about securing enough energy to power the economy, pushed in Hiroshima to release the language its leaders released last year just months after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The 2022 Communiqué approves public investment in gas, but only in “exceptional circumstances” and as a “temporary response” to wean the country from Russia’s energy dependence. Any expansion, the statement said, should not distract the country from its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Statement 2023 repeats that language and goes no further.
“We need to accelerate the phase of our dependence on Russian energy, including through energy savings and reducing gas demand, in a way that is consistent with our Paris commitments,” he said, referring to the landmark Paris climate agreement, “and addressing global issues. The impact of Russia’s war on supply energy, gas prices and inflation, and people’s lives, recognizing the main need to accelerate the clean energy transition.
Britain and France resisted Germany’s efforts. The Biden administration finds itself torn between defending the president’s ambitious climate change agenda and helping other United States allies who want to increase access to fossil fuels.
The fuel’s sudden promotion has shocked environmental activists who say approving public investment in the gas is inconsistent with the country’s pledge made in Glasgow, Scotland, by 2021 to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels. .
“The G7 must clearly state how they will maintain the 1.5 degree Celsius limit and spur on a global shift to clean energy,” said Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland. “This is the moment. The climate crisis is upon us.
Britain and France argue that the immediate energy crisis has passed and that Europe has avoided a power shortage this winter. Germany has built its first liquefied natural gas terminal and hopes to build more.
Japan also has an interest in further natural gas development. During a meeting of environment ministers from the Group of 7 countries in Sapporo, Japan, last month, Japanese representatives pushed the group to allow further investment to develop gas fields in Asia, according to environmental activists.
An official at Japan’s foreign ministry who spoke anonymously said Japan, which depends on energy imports, needs natural gas for energy security and also wants to help other countries use liquefied natural gas as a way to transition away from coal. .
Kaname Ogawa, director of the electricity infrastructure division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said that Japan is fully committed to reducing dependence on natural gas, but has requested a new contract to import gas as others have expired. Liquefied natural gas accounts for more than a third of Japan’s electricity generation, and nearly 10 percent of that gas comes from Russia.
Japan has pushed hard at the Sapporo meeting to prevent the environment minister from committing the Group of 7 to a firm date to phase out coal. Unlike other countries in the group, Japan, which gets nearly 30 percent of its energy from coal, refuses to sign a 2030 deadline to reduce that amount to zero.
“Our electricity structure is very different from other countries,” Mr. Ogawa said. “We will introduce renewable energy and we will increase non-fossil fuels as much as possible, but at the same time, to maintain electricity security, we must continue to use” coal.
The government is funding efforts to use ammonia in coal plants to make them more efficient, a technology marketed as “clean coal.” The communique on Saturday specifically mentioned ammonia and said that efforts “must be developed and used, if they can be aligned with the path of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which has an impact as an effective emission reduction tool to develop decarbonization in sectors and industries.”
Activists worry that Japan’s timeline for developing ammonia technology is too long to help with climate targets.
“New technologies may not arrive in time to meet the 2030 coal phaseout timeline,” said Kimiko Hirata, founder of Climate Integrate, an advocacy group. “It will be developed and distributed only after 2030, so this technology is not compatible with the goal of 1.5 degrees.”
That goal will not be met if countries continue to develop new sources of fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency. The atmosphere has warmed 1.1 degrees above preindustrial levels and is approaching the planet’s edge.
In the “clean energy economy action plan” released on Saturday, Group 7 recognized “there are different paths according to the energy situation, industrial and social structure, and geographical situation of each country.”
Senior US officials said the Biden administration insisted there was “no climate setback” in the language of gas investment. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said public funding for gas infrastructure should be allowed only in “narrow circumstances” and should remain consistent with the country’s plan to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere before 2050.
Hikari Hida contributed reports from Hiroshima, Japan.
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