The silence was deafening..Even as Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault jets off to the G20 meeting of environment ministers in India this week, the group’s energy bosses concluded their own confab on the weekend without issuing a final communique on fossil fuels, renewable energy or even the war in Ukraine..Ministers failed to find common ground on scaling back oil, gas and coal and increasing the role of renewable power in the world’s energy mix. Observers said the result — or lack thereof — reflects divisions between energy producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia and importers such as Germany and Japan..Consequently, they failed to issue a final and formal communique, which requires agreement from all parties on all paragraphs. Instead they issued an ‘outcome document’ that could best be called a draft under the theme: ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’ .In it, the host Chair — India — issued a vague compromise of principles: “Given that fossil fuels currently continue to play a significant role in the global energy mix… the importance of making efforts towards phase down of unabated fossil fuels, in line with different national circumstances was emphasized by some members while others had different views on the matter that abatement and removal technologies will address such concerns,” it said..G20 member states account for three quarters of global oil and gas demand, as well as 90% of new coal fired powered capacity, mostly in India and China..They also failed to agree on a definition of “unabated” fossil fuels that would qualify for reduction, although Guilbeault took that one into his own hands on Monday in his announcement to cut oil and gas subsidies in this country..India meanwhile blocked a similar definition of ‘unabated’ that would apply specifically to coal..They also bickered on the definition of 'renewable' or 'low-carbon' energy technologies, the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and even what constitutes 'green' hydrogen. The US wants the definition to include so-called 'blue' hydrogen derived from natural gas..They also refused to commit to a previous pledge to provide $100 billion a year over five years to help developing nations combat climate change — upending Guilbeault’s $450 million contribution to the UN’s climate change fund..Instead they agreed on a set of voluntary guiding principles unique to each individual circumstance..In a prime display of geopolitical presumptuousness, the US and EU wanted to see a draft statement that included a line about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; Russia insisted on assigning blame for the sabotage of its Nord Stream gas pipelines; China and India opposed both..Despite US and EU sanctions, India and China have each increased imports of Russian oil, to the tune of two million barrels per day each..The lack of agreement on any substantive issue doesn’t bode well for the COP 28 summit in Dubai in November..The meeting is a pet project for Guilbeault, who has staked Canada’s reputation on setting an example other member countries seem unwilling or unable to follow..Which is why he was more than keen to push ahead with his own definition of an unabated fossil fuel on Monday, on the faint hope others may follow..“These measures have nothing to do with money,” he said. “The number is not as important as the statement we’re going to make.”
