Extreme weather events led to around 16,000 deaths and economic losses of $142 billion in G20 countries on average every year between 1998 and 2017. India along with Russia, France, Italy and Germany are the highest ranked in terms of losses, an annual review of climate action taken by G20 countries released on Monday has said.
‘Brown To Green’ an assessment by Climate Transparency, a global consortium that puts together climate information on G20 countries, has said limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degree C instead of 3 degree C (current nationally determined contributions are likely to take warming to 3 degree C) reduces negative impacts across sectors in G20 countries by over 70%. For example, it cuts down the average drought length by 68% and the number of days above 35 degree C a year from 50 to 30.
The assessment also states that India, China, EU, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are projected to meet or surpass their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, excluding targets on curbing emissions from land use change and forestry sector.
India has the most ambitious NDC to limit global warming to 1.5 degree C. India is also currently the country investing the most in renewable energy while Brazil and Germany are the only G20 countries with long-term renewable energy strategies.
“A coal phase-out plan is needed in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the US. Indonesia and Turkey are burning more coal for electricity – their power emissions increased the most in 2018. France, Brazil and the UK reduced emissions in the power sector considerably in 2018 by moving away from fossil fuel power generation,” a statement issued by Climate Transparency on the assessment said.
About 82% of the G20 countries’ energy mix continues to be from fossil fuels. The total primary energy supply of fossil fuels in 2018 increased in Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the US.
“Just one year before the critical deadline the findings give us hope that countries will find the political will to commit to higher emission reduction targets in 2020 as they promised under the Paris Agreement”, says Alvaro Umaña, the co-chair of Climate Transparency and Former Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica.
Under the Paris Agreement, the first global stock-take will take place in 2023. The meeting will assess if climate actions being taken by countries are consistent with the goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature from pre-industrial times to within 2 degree Celsius.
