G20 and Climate Change

Advocacy

This publication outlines the current G20 climate change picture and provides recommendations on key steps and agreements G20 countries need to take in 2017 and at the upcoming leader’s summit (7/8 July, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany). CARE highlights the need for G20 countries to take greater actions on climate change, to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement and to minimize unmanageable climate disruption.

One of the greatest inequalities in the world is reflected in the causes and consequences of climate change which threatens the livelihoods of billions of people, especially women and girls. Although the G20 themselves are not equal, they must rise beyond their differences and step up to their responsibility. It is time for them to lead for a safer future.

Wolfgang Jamann, CEO of CARE International

The report dives deeper into the G20’s role in confronting climate change, with a differentiated perspective recognizing the block’s diversity across various comparative analyses and indices by reputable institutions. For example, while the G20 in total are responsible for 80% of current and 99% of historic CO2 emissions, USA and EU countries have the highest historical responsibility. Today’s average per capita emissions in US, Canada, and others are almost 10 times higher than those of India, with the poorest people even having much lower emissions, revealing the stark inequality in the group.