The results of the G7 Summit

You may have been following the three day summit that was held in Cornwall this year where the seven “most advanced nations” met to discuss the major issues we are facing. If you have read my previous blog post, there has been a lot of hype around what a difference this could make, especially on climate change.

So what came out of a meeting with some of the most powerful individuals in the world? They have produced a shared agenda of what they want to achieve going forward addressing Covid 19, climate change, gender equality and much more. If you want to read the full agenda then it is widely available to the public, available here.

In summary, Covid 19 understandably was the main item on the agenda. The agenda promises to “providing for one billion doses over the next year” to countries who haven’t rolled out the vaccine yet. This is very needed but as we have reached those above eighteen when many countries haven’t begun vaccinating their most vulnerable, is this enough? Like climate change, Covid 19 is a global problem so untill all the countries in the world have overcome Covid, there is still work to do.

Similarly, climate change was discussed with pressure internationally and protests in Cornwall, mounting. And the leaders delivered some big claims; they are hailing a “green revolution” and that “we commit to net zero no later than 2050, halving our collective emissions over the two decades to 2030, increasing and improving climate finance to 2025; and to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of our land and oceans by 2030. We acknowledge our duty to safeguard the planet for future generations.”.

The fact that climate change is so high on the agenda and recognition of the issue is an important step. But like the Paris agreements, these are only major changes if the targets are met. I think the West has a track record of making big claims on climate but failing to pull through. Only time will tell if we can step up and make the changes needed, but at the moment I feel like we are heading down a dangerous path of inaction.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and have a bit more of an insight to what these world leaders have promised for the future as we need to hold them to accountable for this. Although these are bold claims, the realist in me will believe these promises when they are met, as actions will always speak louder than words. If you have any comments about how you think the summit went, comment below or drop me a message on the contact me page!