The G7 group of major economies this weekend made bold pledges on boosting renewables – but also left the door open to continued fossil fuel use and investments, to the dismay of green groups.
A summit of G7 energy and climate ministers in Japan ended with a 36-page communique that reports from the city of Sapporo said was the product of intense wrangling over a number of key issues, not least the host nation's reluctance to endorse stronger commitments on phasing out fossil fuels.
The club of big economies – the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Italy, plus the EU – promised to “drastically increase electricity generated by renewable energies, as well as the use of renewables in heating, cooling and the transportation”.
The statement said that would be underpinned by “a collective increase in offshore wind capacity of 150GW by 2030 based on each country’s existing targets and a collective increase of solar PV to more than 1TW by 2030…. through means such as each country’s existing targets or policy measures”.
In a nod to current concerns over the fragility of some parts of the renewable energy industry, the G7 also said it would focus on developing “secure, sustainable and resilient supply chains”.
Perovskite solar cells, floating wind and wave energy were specifically mentioned, with the G7 set to ask the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) to prepare “analysis on [the] innovation and sustainability of floating offshore wind”.
Dave Jones, an analyst at energy research specialist Ember, said the renewables goals were an aggregation of members' existing goals rather than explicitly new commitments, but still represent "huge statements" of intent.
Jones said: "The G7 shows solar and wind are lined up and ready for take off", adding that the group had aligned with UN climate change policy that sees the two sources as the "biggest and cheapest tools... to reduce emissions this decade."
While environmental groups backed the strong commitment to renewables, the communique left several less warmly welcomed doors ajar for fossil fuels.
Although the text did include a line reaffirming the G7’s commitment “to accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest”, it failed to agree an early timeline for phasing out coal power, reportedly in the face of opposition from Japan.
The door was also left open for investments in the gas sector, which the communique said can be “appropriate to help address potential market shortfalls provoked by the crisis [in energy markets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine]”.
Alden Meyer, a senior associate at climate consultancy E3G, a climate consultancy, said: "By failing to commit to fully decarbonising the power sector, to slashing road sector emissions and totally eliminate international fossil fuel finance, the ministers really missed an opportunity to provide leadership in addressing the climate emergency."
