G7 meeting of climate ministers in Japan, Guilfeld “wants to see ambition”

” Having goals is one thing, but being able to make them work. And I think this meeting will be an opportunity to discuss, learn and improve our best practices. »

The Canadian minister leaves for Asia to agree a final statement with six other G7 ministers and send a clear message to the rest of the world. I want to see ambition! Minister Steven Guilfeld says ahead of departure for Japan.

According to him, it will above all be a question of clean technologies, renewable energies and substantial investments in public transport.

But already, there is a rumor that the discussions may be difficult. On the one hand, the US will try to weaken the G7 commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.

Canada has committed to eliminating all inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by the end of 2023. Minister Guilbeault says Canada is doing better than its G7 peers on this issue.

Fifty Shades of Green

Another challenge: finding and trying to present common ground with Japan, which holds the G7 presidency Green plane, the GX project. A program with an envelope of over US$1000 billion of public and private funds dedicated to, among other things, ensuring its internal energy security.

The Fifty Shades of Green project has come under heavy criticism from many environmentalists and experts. In particular, he has been criticized for promoting solutions that use fossil fuels, such as liquefied natural gas, the production of hydrogen, and the combustion of ammonia in coal-fired power plants.

” Japan is not worried about the climate emergency. His preference for the G7 is driven by his own interests. Japan wants to include the GX program in the text so that it can be promoted outside of Japan. It is important that the rest of the G7 countries come together to defeat this initiative. »

For their part, the countries of the European Union, which are now unanimous about wanting to phase out fossil fuels, may press the G7 countries to include it in the final text. According to our information, Canada should not oppose it.

Remember that at the COP in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Canada put off the issue for several days at the last climate COP, and finally at the end of the conference, it would not have resisted the final speech referring to the gradual withdrawal. Fossil fuels.

According to Executive Director and Founder Kimiko Hirata, this G7 meeting is very important Climate integration. This is the first meeting since the publication of the IPCC Summary Report, which is very alarming, and the G7 member states need to position themselves on fossil fuel withdrawal to set the tone and set a precedent, he says.

Carbon capture and storage

At the summit, countries will try to agree on the role of carbon capture and storage as a tool for decarbonisation. Some want us to recognize above all that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a priority. According to experts, Canada will oppose language that addresses the risks associated with these technologies.

Also, in the last Union Budget, a substantial amount was earmarked for the use of these technologies. Équiterre’s Marc-André Viau reminds us that the IPCC talks about carbon capture and storage as a last resort to achieve carbon neutrality, not as a panacea as they have proven themselves to be.

He believes it is time to put our resources into future sectors and plan a reasonable transition away from fossil fuels.

” Canada has a chance to pull the G7 up rather than down in the energy transition. It is imperative to accelerate the transition to renewable energies that are independent of oil’s geopolitical and associated economic consequences. »

Despite these differences, Minister Steven Guilbault is confident that he and his allies will find common ground to build a common front ahead of the next COP on climate in the United Arab Emirates in December.

According to Patrick Bonin, head of climate-energy campaigning at Greenpeace, the leadership of the G7 is essential. He said the G7 should develop a course at COP28 in Dubai in December to phase out all fossil fuels and meet the 1.5°C target.

” We need a commitment to the unqualified, equitable and accelerated phase-out of all fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – not new developments. »

A climate COP can be full of twists and turns, while its chairman, Emirati Industry Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, is chairman and CEO of one of the world’s largest oil companies.