Tag: Brazil

From November 18 to 19, 2024, the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Centered on the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” the summit brought together world leaders to discuss a wide range of issues, including poverty, hunger, and global institutional reforms.

The G20 is a highly representative group, balancing the interests of developed and developing countries across different regions. The group accounts for two-thirds of the global population, approximately 60% of the world’s land area, 85% of global GDP, and 80% of global trade.

As such, this powerful group has the capacity to shape the future of humanity. This year’s summit drew significant attention, particularly because, in the context of global warming, climate issues have become a central topic of debate at multiple United Nations negotiations. The G20 nations are key players in this arena, not only as the largest donors to multilateral development banks that finance climate initiatives but also as the emitters of over three-quarters of global greenhouse gases.

Previously, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated at COP29 (the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) that “every country must do its part, but the G20 must take the lead.” However, many Western developed nations have shown a lack of enthusiasm for addressing climate issues, engaging in prolonged delays and debates. This reluctance is largely due to the economic decline of the Western powers and the rise of developing countries like China.

Carbon emissions are closely tied to the right to development. Developed countries, having completed or nearly completed their industrialization and modernization, can achieve significant social growth with relatively low carbon emissions. In contrast, many developing countries are still in a phase of economic growth and have not yet completed their industrialization processes. This makes the growth of fossil fuel use, which is technologically simple, relatively cheap, and stably supplied, almost inevitable for these nations.

Imposing the same energy-saving and emission-reduction standards on developing countries as those used by developed Western nations would effectively block the path to industrialization for many developing countries—an outcome they cannot accept. A truly fair approach would involve creating carbon offset mechanisms based on national emission levels. However, many Western nations are unwilling to adopt such measures, as they are reluctant to give up their development advantages.

In contrast to this stalemate, China has achieved remarkable results in addressing climate issues. In 2023, the share of non-fossil energy in China’s total energy consumption rose to 17.9%, while the proportion of coal consumption decreased from 67.4% in 2013 to 55.3%. The total installed capacity of renewable energy across the country exceeded 1.5 billion kilowatts, accounting for over 50% of the country’s total installed power generation capacity. Additionally, China’s forest coverage rate has reached 24.02%.

These achievements have been accomplished alongside China’s rapid economic development, further solidifying its position as a global leader in climate governance. At this G20 summit, as leaders discuss how to “build a just world and a sustainable planet,” China is likely to play a leading role in advancing sustainable development worldwide.