On October 30-31, 2021, the G20 summit-meeting of representatives of the largest countries in the world-was held in Rome. The main topic of discussion was global climate change.
The summit was attended by G20 participants and invited guests. The heads of Russia and China participated in the event online due to the epidemiological situation. Guests included representatives of Azerbaijan, Algeria, Brunei, DR Congo, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, the Philippines, Rwanda and New Zealand. Also, the current Chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy, Olaf Scholz, who will soon replace Merkel as head of the country, traveled to Rome on behalf of Germany.
Coronavirus
One of this year’s most pressing issues, the Covid-19 pandemic, could not be avoided. Leaders agreed to continue to take measures to combat the pandemic. By mid-2022, they plan to vaccinate more than 70% of the countries’ populations.
The issue of the economic condition of nations for the epidemiological period was raised. The world economy continues to recover at a steady pace.
Country leaders discussed the possibility of resuming international travel and vaccination certification.
Environment
Despite the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic, the main reason for the summit was the issue of climate change for the worse. During the discussions, it was decided that worldwide action should be taken to prevent global warming to 1.5 degrees. Without taking any measures, the temperature in the world will increase by as much as 2.6 degrees, which can lead to irreparable consequences for the whole world community. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero over the next 30 years.
The G20 plans to plant 1 trillion trees by 2030. To implement such global and important plans for the world community, a proactive participation of all countries is needed.
The summit resulted in a declaration signed by the G20 participants, which outlines all measures to be taken to improve the environmental and economic situation.
“We recall and reaffirm the commitment of developed countries to jointly mobilize $100 billion annually until 2025 to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions”, – as stated in the document.
The declaration also touched on digital transformation, the fight against inequality, corporate tax, dialogue between producers and consumers, Internet security, cultural heritage, continuity of medical services, women’s rights, and food security. Issues around Stable Coin and the fight against corruption.
The 16th G20 summit was a precursor to the two-week UN climate conference in Glasgow.
