G7 takes action on epidemic, climate crisis and China

Sans les esclandres ou portes claquées de l’époque Trump, le premier sommet du G7 de Joe Biden s’est terminé dimanche sur des promesses d’agir ensemble, alliés, contre la pandémie et le rééchauffement climatique, tout en Ruante la Rue China.

• Read also: Trudeau confirmed that Canada will provide 100 million doses

The three-day meeting in Cornwall (southwest England), the first in person in nearly two years, marks the return of direct contacts between leaders from the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.

But also entering the superpower club of the US Democratic president, bent on re-launching pluralism, during his first trip abroad that should end with a much-anticipated tour with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Joe Biden, who came to restore burnt allies under Donald Trump, hailed the summit as “extraordinarily collaborative and productive.” Reason for satisfaction on the first leg of the American leader’s European tour, who then had tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, with a procession of honor guards dressed in traditional red garb and black fur hats. Bear, before taking off for Brussels as he takes part in the NATO summit on Monday.

It brought “new impetus”, greeted the German chancellor upon the departure of Angela Merkel, after her last G7 summit.

Admittedly, disputes between Europeans and Britons over Brexit have undermined the good understanding shown in front of the cameras about family photos, receptions and beach barbecues in the idyllic Cornwall setting. Of course, NGOs have criticized vague or insufficient promises. But the industrialized nations, under his leadership, tried to show a united front on major international issues.

And in front of the multiplication of calls for solidarity, they agreed to distribute 870 million doses to poor countries, which allows them, to calculate the other commitments made since February, by saying that they have reached their goal of one billion doses. By financing the Covax Participation System.

Moscow and Beijing are under fire

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I know the world has been counting on us to reject the selfish and nationalist approaches” that have characterized the response to the pandemic. “I hope we are up to that.”

No, many NGOs denounced: at least 11 billion doses are needed to eradicate the epidemic. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined the criticism, citing an “unforgivable moral bankruptcy” that could cause “thousands” of deaths.

The G7 leaders also laid out a battle plan for the world to be ready in less than a hundred days for a new epidemic, and called for further investigation by the World Health Organization into the origin of the virus in China.

The latter were particularly targeted during the summit, as were Russia. In its closing statement, the G7 called on Beijing to “respect human rights” in Xinjiang, where the Uighur minority lives, and in Hong Kong. He urged Russia to stop its “destabilizing activities” through its support for cyber-attacks in particular.

To counter China’s “New Silk Roads”, the Group of Seven launched a large-scale infrastructure plan in climate, health, digital technology and combating inequality in order to help poor countries recover from the epidemic.

Mr. Biden emphasized that it would be “fairer” than the Chinese, while stressing that he does not seek “conflict”, Beijing does not appreciate these announcements. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said that the G7 “is not an anti-Chinese club”.

Harrow on charcoal

Another big component: the climate, with an action plan to try to limit global warming. A critical issue for the UK ahead of the major UN Climate Conference (COP26) which it will host in Glasgow (Scotland) in November.

The goal is to limit the temperature increase to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era, a threshold beyond which scientists believe climate change will spiral out of control.

To achieve this, G7 leaders have called for halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or even more for some.

They want to turn their backs on coal-fired power plants, the most polluting fossil fuel, unless environmental compensation measures, such as carbon dioxide capture, are implemented.₂. Public aid will be stopped this year.

In this context, leaders plan to sign a check of up to $2 billion to support green transformation in disadvantaged countries.

The contributions of the Group of Seven to achieving the developed country’s goal of financing climate policies for poor countries will be increased to $100 billion annually by 2025.

For environmentalists, it is very soft and very mysterious. “Without an agreement to stop all new fossil fuel projects – what needs to be done this year to curb the dangerous rise in global temperature – this plan is not up to the task,” Greenpeace said.