G7 countries decide to phase out coal until mid- 2030 and continue to reach for global plastic agreement by the end of 2024

G7 final declaration sends important signals to combat the climate crisis, the waste crisis and the crisis of species extinction

BMUV - Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

The meeting of the G7 Environment, Climate Protection and Energy Ministers ended today with a final declaration, which reaffirms the G7's determination in the fight against the global triple crisis of species extinction, plastic litter and climate crisis. For the first time, the G7 agreed on a concrete time horizon for the coal phase-out. This is a significant milestone in the departure of fossil fuels worldwide. In order to implement the tripling of renewable energies agreed at COP28 by 2030, the G7 sets targets for the expansion of storage facilities and networks and are deepening their cooperation with partner countries. For the new climate contributions (NDCs), the G7 focuses in particular on the further ambition increase of all countries, which are largely issuers, and support for developing countries particularly affected by climate change.

The G7 sends a strong signal for a global, legally binding plastic agreement by the end of the year and is in favour of reducing global plastic production and plastic consumption for the first time. In addition, they underpin their goal of the previous year to end additional plastic pollution by 2040, through concrete measures. The G7 want to coordinate better in the fight against the global water crisis, join forces and provide impetus for global water policy. To this end, they form a water coalition. The G7 also announces that they would ratify the agreement for the protection of the high seas by the next UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. The G7 also reaffirm its determination to advance the agreement adopted in Montreal to protect nature and call for the direction of all financial flows to its goals.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said: "It is good that the G7 is committed to its responsibility in resolving the three major ecological crises of our time, the climate crisis, species extinction and litter. As an industrialised countries, we are giving the negotiations for a globally binding plastic agreement and call for a reduction in plastic production. The G7 states are also pursuing the goal of ratifying the global ocean-going protection agreement BBNJ in their countries by June 2025. To protect global water supplies, the G7 have established a water coalition to support the next UN Water Conference. This means that the seven large industrialised countries have taken important decisions today, which show that we are serious about combating the global environmental and climate crises."

BMWK State Secretary Anja Hajduk: "The fact that we were able to reach an agreement with our G7 partners on a time horizon for the coal phase-out is a historic success for climate protection. The G7 is thus making progress in implementing the COP28 target for shifting away from fossil fuels. The present already belongs to renewable energies: in 2023, 86 percent of all electricity capacities built up worldwide were already renewable. Last year, the international community has decided to triple the capacity for renewable energy by 2030. To achieve this goal, the G7 will contribute to the massive expansion of storage and networks worldwide and deepen their cooperation with developing countries. We want to support a global just transformation in partnership, which will continue to create and secure prosperity in the future."

As an industrialised country, the G7 has a special obligation to contain the effects of the massive pollution crisis from plastic waste. The G7 have provided a strong tailwind for a global, legally binding plastic agreement for a global, legally binding plastic agreement by demanding the conclusion of the negotiations by the end of the year. At the same time, they reaffirm their own goal from the previous year to complete additional plastic pollution by 2040.

In addition, the G7 decide to establish a water coalition to better coordinate its joint action in the fight against the global water crisis. In particular, the coalition is to develop strategies and measures for integrated water management and to accompany the preparatory process for the UN Water Conference 2026, which is now taking place.

In a joint declaration, the G7 call for the groundbreaking agreement for the protection of the seas on the high seas (BBNJ), which the UN member states decided in New York in March 2023 to be ratified by the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. Only when 60 states have ratified the agreement can it enter into force.

The G7 reaffirm its determination to advance the agreement decided in Montreal to protect nature. They are committed to a challenging monitoring and verification mechanism, with which the implementation of the ambitious goals of the GBF can be effectively reviewed. At the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Colombia at the end of October, negotiations on this test mechanism are to be concluded.

With their decisions on biodiversity and climate protection and the sustainable use of land and water, the G7 is also sending a strong signal to the G20 and the three Conferences of the Parties in the field of environmental and climate protection, which will take place in 2024: the World Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan in December, the Conference on the Protection of Biodiversity in Colombia at the end of October and the Combat Desertification Conference, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in December.

The G7 takes up the decisions of COP28 and commit to submitting more ambitious

new climate protection contributions (NDCs) in line with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and the long-term strategies for greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. The new NDCs, which are to be submitted by the beginning of 2025 according to the Paris Agreement, are expected to include all economic activities, include absolute reduction targets and cover all the GHGs, sectors and categories.

In doing so, the G7 live up to its responsibility and leadership role, sending strong signals to the G20 and the rest of the world. For the first time, the G7 concludes a target for coal phase-outs in the first half of the 2030s or on a time path that allows the 1.5°C limit to be kept within reach.

In order to achieve the tripling of global renewables capacity by 2030, the G7 want to contribute to an increase in electricity storage capacities to 1500 GW by 2030, which is in six-fold. They also recognise that global investment in network infrastructure needs to be doubled by 2030.

The G7 also reaffirm its leadership in the area of climate finance. For the new climate financing goal (NCQG), which is to be adopted at COP29, they call for a broadening of the donor base, which reflects today's economic capacities and the share of global greenhouse gas emissions of all countries.

The G7 emphasise the central role of decarbonisation in the industry to keep a temperature increase of a maximum temperature within reach of 1.5°C and continue to pursue the G7 Industrial Decarbonisation Agenda. For the first time, the G7 commits to measures to end emissions from energy-intensive plants. They highlight the importance of accelerating the ramp-ramping of technologies for decarbonisation, e.g. Hydrogen direct reduction instead of blast furnaces in steel production. In addition, the demand for green industrial products is to be strengthened, including through cooperation with the international market framework in the climate club.

The G7 are making further efforts to achieve additional emission reductions in particularly harmful greenhouse gases. In particular, the G7 are committed to no longer using SF6, the most climate-damaging greenhouse gas, in new electrical switchgear from 2035 onwards. The EU had already adopted a regulation with the new F-gas regulation at the beginning of the year. German and European manufacturers are among the pioneers in SF6-free alternatives. The G7 also adopt a number of measures to reduce methane emissions. The departure of fossil fuels is an important measure. By 2030, the G7 want to contribute to reducing the methane emissions generated by means of 75 percent through the promotion, transport and use of fossil fuels.

The G7 meeting of the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministers took place on 29 and 30. April in Turin, Italy, and prepared the G7 summit of the heads of state and government in Apulia in June.