Environment

G20 leaders gather for a second day of their Rome summit on Oct. 31, with all eyes on whether they can deliver a meaningful commitment on climate change ahead of crucial U.N. talks.

The Group of 20 major economies emit nearly 80 percent of carbon emissions, and a promise of action would provide a much-needed boost to COP26 climate talks starting in Glasgow on Oct. 31.

Ljubljana – Looking at the start of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Dnevnik expresses reservations in Saturday’s commentary about the probability of success.

G20 leaders gathering in Rome for their first meeting since the start of the pandemic face a global recovery hampered by a number of obstacles: an energy crisis driving higher fuel and utility prices, new outbreaks of Covid-19 and blocked supply chains.

Experts fear proposed changes to Serbia's constitution still leave the door open to political interference in the judiciary and face questions of legitimacy given the absence of an opposition in parliament.

Top crude exporter Saudi Arabia will aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, its de facto ruler said on Oct. 23, days before the COP26 global climate summit.

The kingdom, one of the world's biggest polluters, said it would also join a global effort to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Oct. 7 Turkey's ratification of the 2015 Paris climate accord, saying Ankara should rapidly present its national plan to combat climate change. 

"I expect Turkey to present as soon as possible a national #ClimateAction plan in line with its commitment to get to net zero emissions by 2053," Guterres said on Twitter.

The Turkish parliament ratified the Paris climate agreement to contribute to the global efforts against climate change and put it into effect after publishing it in the Official Gazette on Oct. 7.

Pope Francis and other religious leaders issued a joint appeal today to the organizers and participants of next month's UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). They called on forum participants to propose concrete solutions to save the planet from "an unprecedented environmental crisis," Reuters reported.

Turkey is taking steps for green economy as part of its fight against the negative impact of climate change, the Turkish vice president said on Oct. 4. 

Milan – Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak attended a three-day Pre-COP meeting in Milan whose participants tried to bring their positions closer together ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. He noted the importance of an agreement being reached at the summit as the only way to limit heating of the atmosphere and negative impact of climate change.