The G7 leaders are in Carbis Bay, Cornwall and Climate change is on their agenda. The 95-year-old environmentalist Sir David Attenborough wants those present at the G7 summit to realize that climate change is an issue they cannot ignore. He says the world may be on the "verge of destabilizing” and the leaders must ensure a secure future for the planet. He describes this decade as an important one in history. The veteran environmentalist has been pursuing the issue of climate change for a long time and wants the world to formulate policies that would benefit the future generations.
Innumerable international forums have discussed the subject but there continues to be wildfires, floods, cyclones, typhoons etcetera with loss of lives and properties. Some actions have been taken but those are not enough. Much more needs to be done.
Sky News reports that there were protests across Cornwall. Various climate groups undertook these protests. Their intention was to highlight environmental issues to the G7 leaders. There are expectations that the G7 summit would pledge to have drastic reduction in their emissions by 2030. US President Joe Biden has passed executive orders on climate change soon after taking over charge. This is a departure from the stand taken by the previous Trump administration.
It had walked away from the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Empty promises will not help the cause of climate change
Sky News says reports indicate there will be promises to ease out fossil fuels from the scene. Traditional fossil fuels are coal, petrol and diesel and these generate harmful gases that result in global warming. The world has to explore alternate sources to replace them.
There would also be efforts to phase out vehicles powered by petrol and diesel and focus attention on Renewable Energy. Electric vehicles are an option and some automobile manufacturers are gearing up to modify their production lines. Sir David Attenborough reminds the leaders of the G7 summit: "Our climate is warming fast.
That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly plain to see.” He adds the most economically advanced nations must take decisions in this decade that would define the course of human history.
Funds to developing countries to deal with climate change
Sky News makes a mention of the fact that the G7 would earmark additional funds to extend help to developing countries. The purpose would be to deal with the impact of climate change. It is necessary to realize that climate change could lead to irreversible ecological ruin unless checked in time. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has used the summit to launch a fund meant for supporting some countries. He wants them to tackle unsustainable fishing apart from protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems.
These would include mangroves and coral reefs. In his words: "Protecting our planet is the most important thing we as leaders can do for our people." Sea level rise due to global warming is a real threat to coastal regions.
Climate change one of the key themes at the G7 summit
According to The BBC, the group of seven known as the G7 comprises the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy. This time they gathered in Cornwall to formulate plans to reduce carbon emissions and restore biodiversity. Climate change is one of the key themes at the present summit in Carbis Bay. The leaders of these countries would have to draw up a road map of meeting the emissions target. This could be possible by switching to alternatives to petrol and diesel and withdrawing all direct government support for the fossil fuel sector overseas. Incidentally, in 2019, China was apparently responsible for 27% of the world's greenhouse gases. However, this country is not part of the G7.
