In theory, the world’s largest developed democracy has agreed to stop using fossil fuels in just over a quarter of a century and switch to new sources of electricity such as solar and wind as soon as possible.
But as G7 leaders met in Hiroshima, Japan, this weekend for their annual meeting, some countries announced plans to phase out the use of carbon-emitting fuels such as gas and coal to avoid the worst. They were debating whether to loosen their promise to abolish it. Effects of global warming.
The final communiqué of the summit, released Saturday afternoon, included language requested by the Japanese side congratulating them on continuing to invest in certain types of government-funded coal-fired power plants. But leaders only modestly revised language from last year’s meeting in favor of new investment in natural gas infrastructure. Germany had sought approval in 2022 as it rushed to replace Russian gas imports following its invasion of Ukraine, but this year it was aiming to expand the language.
This behind-the-scenes battle is facing political, economic and practical challenges for many of the G7 nations as they try to accelerate the global energy transition with trillions of dollars in government incentives. I made it clear that there is.
European nations reeling from the invasion of Ukraine are desperately seeking sources of natural gas to keep the lights on. At the same time, countries like Japan, and to some extent the United States, are also seeking to protect long-standing investments in the domestic and foreign fossil fuel industries.
The United States and its allies last year pledged to invest in wind and solar power, electric vehicles, energy-efficient technologies and other measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global temperature rise. has moved swiftly to encourage At the same time, to avert a power crisis in Europe and keep gasoline prices in check around the world, the government says it has taken temporary but important steps to keep fossil fuels flowing onto global markets.
These efforts include capping the price of Russian oil, hailed as a success at this weekend’s meeting. The cap effectively allows Russia to continue exporting oil at a discounted price. Keeping crude oil on the market helps keep global gasoline prices down.
But tensions have risen within the coalition over efforts by some countries to ensure access to fossil fuels for decades to come. Worried about having enough energy to power the economy, Germany’s government reverted language announced by its leaders last year, just months after Russia began its war on Ukraine, according to three people familiar with the debate. He put pressure on Hiroshima to relax.
The 2022 communiqué approved public investment in gas, but only in “exceptional circumstances” and as a “temporary response” to free countries from dependence on Russia’s energy. . The statement said any expansion should not derail countries’ commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2023 statement also repeated that wording and didn’t include any further content.
The report cites the landmark Paris Climate Agreement as “accelerating Russia’s gradual de-independence from energy in a manner consistent with its commitments made in Paris, including through energy savings and gas demand reductions.” “We need to,” he said, “and we need to address the global climate change problem.” Considering the impact of the Russian War on energy supplies, gas prices and inflation, and public livelihoods, we recognize the primary need to accelerate the transition to clean energy. ”
England and France fought the German effort. The Biden administration felt caught between defending the president’s own ambitious climate change policies and helping other U.S. allies to increase access to fossil fuels.
Such a fuel’s sudden push has alarmed environmental activists, and support for public investment in gas is expected in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021 to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels. It argues that it is incompatible with the pledges of each country to keep it to a minimum. .
Former Irish President Mary Robinson said: “The G7 needs to articulate how it intends to maintain the 1.5 degree Celsius limit and facilitate a global transition to clean energy.” Stated. “This is the moment. The climate crisis is upon us.”
Britain and France say the impending energy crisis is behind them and Europe has avoided a potential power shortage this winter. Germany has already built its first liquefied natural gas terminal and hopes to build more.
Japan is also interested in further natural gas development. At the G7 environment ministers’ meeting in Sapporo, Japan last month, Japanese representatives urged the group to allow more investment in gas field development in Asia, according to environmental activists. asked.
A Japanese foreign ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Japan, which is dependent on energy imports, needs natural gas for its energy security and that other countries are using liquefied natural gas as a means of transitioning away from coal. said he wants to help. .
Kaname Ogawa, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s power infrastructure division, said Japan as a whole is working to reduce its dependence on natural gas, but is seeking new gas import contracts as other contracts expire. Stated. Liquefied natural gas accounts for more than one-third of Japan’s power generation, and nearly 10% of it is supplied by Russia.
Already at the Sapporo meeting, Japan urged its environment ministers to prevent the Group of Seven (G7) from committing to a firm date to phase out coal. Unlike other countries in this group, Japan, which derives nearly 30 percent of its energy from coal, has refused to sign the 2030 deadline to go coal-free.
“Japan’s electric power structure is very different from other countries,” says Ogawa. “We will introduce renewable energy and use as many non-fossil fuels as possible, but at the same time we must continue to use coal to maintain power security.”
The government is funding efforts to use ammonia in coal-fired power plants to improve efficiency, advertising the technology as “clean coal.” Saturday’s communiqué specifically referred to ammonia, stating, “If aligned along the 1.5 degree Celsius pathway, these efforts should be developed and leveraged to advance decarbonization across sectors and industries.” “It has an impact as an effective means of reducing emissions.”
Activists worry that Japan’s ammonia technology development timeline is too long to meet its climate change goals.
“To reach the goal of phasing out coal by 2030, new technology cannot be introduced in a timely manner,” says Kimiko Hirata, founder of the advocacy group Climate Integrate. “Because it will not be developed and deployed until 2030, this technology will not meet the 1.5 degree target.”
According to the International Energy Agency, this goal will not be met if countries continue to develop new fossil fuel sources. The atmosphere has already warmed 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels and is hurtling towards its planetary boundaries.
In its “Clean Energy Economy Action Plan” released on Saturday, the G7 acknowledged that “there are different paths, depending on each country’s energy situation, industrial and social structure, and geography.”
A senior U.S. official said the Biden administration is claiming there is “no reversal in climate change” in the language of the gas investment. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said public funding for gas infrastructure should only be allowed in “limited circumstances” and that countries will stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2050. said that it should still be consistent with the plan of
Hida Hikari Contributed to a report from Hiroshima, Japan.
