Coal, biofuels, nuclear and more: what was decided at the G7 Environment
All the commitments contained in the final document of the G7 Environment, Energy and Climate held in Venaria Reale
The member countries of the G7 Environment, Energy and Climate, underway in Venaria Reale, have given the green light to the official document with which they undertake to "gradually eliminate the production of energy from coal existing in our energy systems during the first half of the Thirty or in a timeline consistent with maintaining the 1.5°C limit of temperature increase within reach, in line with countries' net-zero pathways."
“We have reached an agreement to phasing out coal on a specific date, which is just around the corner,” said European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. “This is the first time this has happened. I think it's an extraordinary success. We managed to agree on a text, on a call for progressive overcoming with a specific date in the first half of the 2030s” for the coal ban: “It might seem distant, but in reality in terms of planning it is just around the corner” .
NUCLEAR FUSION
The G7 ministers also undertake to promote the use of nuclear fusion energy, a process for producing clean energy that is different from fission and theoretically better, but still far from commercial success.
In detail, the G7 commits to “move international collaborations to accelerate the development and pilot fusion facilities and encourage increased private investment and public commitment to solve research challenges and develop international supply chains and workforces ”. Furthermore, “a G7 working group on fusion energy will be established to share best practices and explore areas of mutual interest cooperation between countries with the aim of strengthening research and development cooperation between countries and to establish a G7 exchange to promote consistent approaches to merger regulations where appropriate.”
Recently two G7 member countries, the United States and Japan , announced a collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of nuclear fusion technologies. An American startup, Commonwealth Fusion Systems – of which Eni is an important supporter – promises to launch a commercial fusion power plant as early as the 2030s.
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE FROM RUSSIA
The G7 Environment “reaffirms its commitment to reducing dependence on civil nuclear-related goods from Russia”, with the aim of promoting “a diversified fuel supply chain free from Russian influence, and assistance to countries that they try to diversify their offer".
In the document the ministers condemn the seizure of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia by Russia, an act “which entails serious nuclear safety and security risks, with implications for the wider international community. We emphasize the importance for all countries and their respective peoples to uphold the highest standards of safety, security, safeguards and non-proliferation, especially as more and more countries adopt nuclear energy as an integral part of their energy mix.”
TRIPLE RENEWABLE CAPACITY, SEXUPLY STORAGE
The final declaration also contains a commitment to “triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 to at least 11 TW, and to ensure decisive action to mitigate permitting, licensing and employment challenges.”
At the same time, the text invites us to "six-fold" storage – necessary to balance the intermittency of wind and solar, the two renewable sources that are growing the most – to 1500 gigawatts by 2030: this is "an increase of more than six times compared to 230 GW in 2022”.
The G7 recognizes that “the pace and scale of renewable energy deployment must increase significantly, supporting the global transition away from fossil fuels, increasing energy security and economic growth and creating jobs”. The need to "strengthen energy security by increasing system flexibility" is also underlined, i.e. the ability of the electricity grid to manage the increase in weather-dependent generation capacity.
CUTTING METHANE EMISSIONS
The G7 Environment ministers then commit “to pursue a collective effort towards a 75% reduction in global methane emissions from fossil fuels, including by reducing the methane emissions intensity of oil and gas operations by 2030”.
A COALITION FOR WATER
Recognizing the importance of water for sustainable development, prosperity and peace, the G7 has decided to establish a “Coalition for Water”. The objective is to “identify common objectives and strategies to catalyze shared ambitions and priorities to address the global water crisis and highlight the role of multisectoral approaches; integrate water and its cross-sectoral relevance effectively and consistently into existing forums and processes, including by increasing policy attention on water globally, increasing the impact of the G7 and integrating other global initiatives.”
WHAT PICHEETTO SAID AT THE G7 ENVIRONMENT
“The Venaria Charter contains a very important point regarding the abandonment of coal. For the first time we have drawn up a document which indicates not only a path but also a clear objective." This was stated by the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, during the press conference closing the work of the G7 Environment, Energy and Climate.
“The points of the final document”, added the minister, “were voted on with conviction and with much appreciation for the objectives we had set ourselves. This is an important step forward, a bridging operation between COP28 and COP29. The Venaria Charter contains very important points regarding coal, biofuels and nuclear fusion energy”.
“Great attention has been paid to biofuels,” added Pichetto, “with a very important role played by Brazil. The Venaria Charter saw a great commitment and strong sharing by the G7 countries to deepen research and development to achieve the objective of green energy production. For the first time the issue of water was raised and for this reason an alliance was born to focus on what is becoming an important issue and which requires maximum attention".
Still on biofuels, Pichetto said that “there has been a commitment involving important countries such as France and Germany. The biofuel alliance has been strengthened."
– Read also: The G7 Transport promotes biofuels and rejects the EU
As for nuclear power, Pichetto recognized that “there has been an important debate among the G7 countries; with conviction. It is an agreement that provides for joint work on nuclear research and production and is in perfect line with the requests of our country."
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/g7-ambiente-documento-finale/ on Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:57:49 +0000.