Yahoo News US blocking mention of climate change in G20 statement, diplomats say
G20 diplomats say the US is against mentioning climate change in the communique of the world’s financial leaders.
A new draft of the joint statement shows the G20 considering including it as a risk factor to growth.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the world’s 20 largest economies are discussing the main challenges to the global economy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this weekend.
G20 sources told Reuters that the US was reluctant to accept language on climate change as a risk to the economy.
The US is represented at the meeting by treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
One diplomat says that usually China blocks the mention of climate change as well as the US, but as they are represented at a lower level in this meeting, it is mainly the US holding things up.
"Climate is the last sticking point in the communique. There is still no agreement," a second source familiar with the negotiations said.
In November, Donald Trump began the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord. This would make the US the only country in the world to not be included in the agreement.
President Trump dismissed the need for action on climate change at the last G20 summit in Japan in June 2019.
The actual focus of this G20 meeting is global growth outlook and new rules concerning the taxation of global digital companies.
The G20 expects a modest pick-up in global growth this year and next, but noted downside risks to this outlook stemming from "geopolitical and remaining trade tensions and policy uncertainty and macroeconomic risk related to environmental sustainability".
The latest draft communique gives less prominence to the outbreak of the coronavirus as a growth risk, saying only the G20 would "enhance global risk monitoring, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19".
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