Bigger commitment needed from G20 to achieve 1.5C

The world urgently needs deeper climate action and ambition to honor the spirit of the Paris Agreement and make COP 26 a success. This week’s UNFCCC Synthesis Report, which is based on 191 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as submitted by 30 July 2021, shows that major emitters, particularly those in the G20 that have yet to step up their efforts, must urgently scale up their climate ambition in order to keep the 1.5C limit within reach.

On the cusp of the most important COP since Paris, and as the major economies gather today, it is clear that the G20 is indispensable to getting the world on track for a 1.5C future. The UNFCCC Synthesis Report shows, we are devastatingly far from meeting the 1.5C target. Analysis by the World Resource Institute and Climate Analytics shows that by simply aligning their NDCs with the Paris Agreement goals, the G20 could singularly keep the 1.5-degree pathway within reach. As the world’s preeminent emitters, accounting for three-quarters of all global emissions, the G20 could limit temperature rise to 1.7-degrees, the lion’s share of action necessary to keep 1.5 in reach. With less than a third of G20 members having submitted more ambitious NDCs, the commitment by the G20 to deliver the balance ahead of COP 26 is welcome, but only if they show increased ambition in line with a 1.5C pathway.

This is also a key opportunity for the world’s major economies to lead on scaling up adaptation action and investment   to address the impacts of climate change. As recent floods in the heart of Europe and the southern United States show, the impacts of climate change and the risks they pose are shared across the globe and across country lines.  Stronger adaptation ambition from the G20, including the development of new technologies, is needed to help communities navigate current impacts. This ambition should also include a drastic scale-up of financial support for adaptation.    

There is also a clear and urgent need to deliver on existing climate finance commitments. This includes the delivery, in the context of adequate transparency and ambition, of the USD100 billion in support of ambitious action on climate change. As the OECD research published today finds, total climate finance was USD 79.6 billion in 2019, meaning that an increase of USD20 billion would be required to meet the target.

With only Argentina, Canada, the European Union, and its Member States, the United Kingdom and the United States submitting stronger 2030 targets, the G20 is lagging on ambition. There is a clear path for G20 leaders to align with the promises of the Paris Agreement by delivering 1.5C-aligned NDCs ahead of COP 26, and addressing the yawning gaps on adaptation and mitigation.

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Contact: hac@highambitioncoalition.org; +447894219638