GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) -Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies and developing countries invited to their summit agreed on Monday to work together to accelerate the fight against climate change while ensuring their energy security, a statement said.
At a G7 meeting in Germany that invited the leaders of Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa, they also discussed ways of phasing down coal and scaling up renewable energies in a way that is “socially just”, the statement said.
G7 countries, in a standoff with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, have sought ways to plug energy shortages and tackle soaring prices while sticking to their climate commitments.
They announced no specific new climate measures in Monday’s statement but could say more in a communique after the three-day summit, which began on Sunday.
The leaders “agreed to work together to accelerate a clean and just transition towards climate neutrality, while ensuring energy security”, the statement said.
Environment activists have pushed Western powers to stay focused on climate change goals despite the war, as some European Union countries turned back to dirtier coal to meet their energy demand after a drop in gas flows from Russia.
Japan has also pushed to remove a target for zero-emission vehicles from a G7 communique expected this week, according to a proposed draft seen by Reuters.
(Reporting by Matthias Williams and Alexander RatzEditing by Peter Graff)
