The world’s richest democracies will come together in Britain this week with global heating high on the agenda. Can they match big promises with concrete action?
The damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has been huge, but it pales in comparison to the potential risks associated with the climate crisis. With the world coalescing around the importance of limiting temperature rises to a maximum of 2C above pre-industrial levels, the next 10 years are the last chance to meet that goal – and with the Cop26 summit in Glasgow later this year, the G7 summit in Cornwall this week is the next staging post in a crucial six months to settle on a way forward.
But even as many countries set out significant pledges to do their part, the reality of their policies is often far behind. Anushka Asthana speaks to the Guardian’s environment correspondent, Fiona Harvey, about what must happen to catch up with those commitments – and what this summit will tell us about the likelihood of making changes that are crucial to averting catastrophe.
