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The Group of Seven rich nations on Sunday set massive new collective targets for solar power and offshore wind capacity, agreeing to accelerate the development of renewable energy and move to a faster phase-out of fossil fuels.
But he stopped short of endorsing the 2030 deadline for phasing out coal that Canada and other members are pushing for and left the door open to continued investment in gas, saying the sector could help address potential energy shortages.
“In the midst of an unprecedented energy crisis, it is important to take steps to address climate change and improve energy security at the same time,” Japan’s Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a press conference.
“While recognizing that there are many different paths to achieving carbon neutrality, we agree on the importance of moving towards a common goal towards 2050.”
G7 ministers concluded two days of meetings on climate, energy and environmental policies in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo on Sunday. Renewable fuel sources and energy security have come to a head after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“At first, people thought that climate action and energy security action could be in conflict. But the discussion that was there and reflected in the communique is that they can work together,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s natural resources minister.
In the communique, members pledged to increase offshore wind capacity by 150 gigawatts by 2030 and solar capacity to more than one terawatt.
They also agreed to accelerate the “phase-out of unsustainable fossil fuels” – the burning of fossil fuels without the use of technology to capture the resulting C02 emissions – to achieve net zero in the latest energy system by 2050.
Regarding coal, the countries agreed to prioritize “concrete and timely measures” to accelerate the phase of “domestic coal-fired power generation, which does not stop,” as part of last year’s commitment to achieve at least a decarbonized power sector “mainly” by 2035.
Canada is clear that non-stop coal power must be phased out by 2030, and Ottawa, Britain and several other G7 members are committed to that date, Canada’s Wilkinson told Reuters.
“Others are still trying to figure out how to get in at the right time,” he said.
“We are trying to find a way [for] some are more dependent on coal than others to find technical ways of doing it.”
‘The big statement’
“The solar and wind commitments are a big statement of how important they are going to rely on solar and wind power to move away from fossil fuels,” said Dave Jones, who heads data at energy think-tank Ember.
“Hopefully this will present a challenge to Japan, for whom offshore wind is the missing piece of the jigsaw that could see the power sector decarbonize faster than we thought possible.”
Host nation Japan, which depends on imports for almost all of its energy needs, wants to keep liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transition fuel for at least 10 to 15 years.
Members of the G7 – which include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Japan – said that investments in the gas sector “could be appropriate” to overcome the potential market shortage caused by the crisis in Ukraine, if done properly. consistent with climate goals.
They are targeting 2040 to reduce additional plastic pollution to zero, bringing the target up to ten years.
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