South Africa’s G20 presidency, guided by themes of solidarity and sustainability, highlighted Africa’s unique climate vulnerabilities and pressed for greater global responsibility. Key achievements include putting environmental crime on the agenda and advancing a voluntary clean-cooking initiative. The resulting declaration acknowledged the principle that high-emitting nations must support Africa with funding and technology. On sustainability, South Africa pressed for solutions to Africa’s debt crisis and better access to clean energy finance. Nevertheless, the presidency yielded mixed results, producing vague language on implementing just energy transitions and failing to address fossil fuel subsidies. With the presidency now passed to the United States amid diplomatic friction, the future of Africa’s climate priorities in the powerful G20 forum remains uncertain.
The Conversation
