The Group of Seven wealthy nations (G7) recently established ambitious collective goals for increasing their solar power and offshore wind capacity, as reported by Reuters on April 16. Their aim is to expedite the development of renewable energy and hasten the phase-out of fossil fuels. However, they did not endorse a 2030 deadline for ending the use of coal, instead leaving room for continued investment in gas. The members committed to boosting offshore wind capacity by 150 gigawatts and solar capacity by more than 1 terawatt by 2030. They also agreed to speed up the phase-out of fossil fuels without capturing CO2 emissions, with a target of achieving net-zero energy systems by 2050 at the latest. The G7 nations also pledged to take practical and timely measures to accelerate the phase-out of unabated coal power generation.
While Canada and some other G7 members support ending the use of unabated coal-fired power by 2030, others are still exploring ways to achieve that goal. The G7 countries acknowledged that renewable energy and energy security are compatible goals and committed to reaching a shared target for 2050. They also pledged to reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040, ten years earlier than previously planned.
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