Major economies accused of ‘backsliding’ on emissions as G20 climate meet ends in failure
Objections to language on climate targets and G20 climate ministers met on the Indonesian resort island for the talks as extreme weather events — fires, floods and heat waves — pummel several parts of the world, including unprecedented flooding in Pakistan that has killed more than 1,100 people.Science shows that such extreme weather events are attributable to human-caused climate change and will only increase in severity and frequency as the globe edges closer to the warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.In comments ahead of November’s COP27 in Egypt, Sharma said the position some countries had taken in Bali was unacceptable.”The big emitters absolutely need to look these climate vulnerable countries in the eye and say they are doing absolutely everything they can to deliver on the commitments they have made,” he said.Indonesia’s Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar had started the meeting by urging countries to cut emissions and prevent the planet from being pushed to a point “where no future will be sustainable.”Siti had earlier said she hoped a joint communiqué would be signed by the end of the day Wednesday, but made no mention of it in her closing press conference.
