G-20 make mild pledges on climate neutrality, coal financing

By NICOLE WINFIELD, DAVID MCHUGH and KARL RITTER
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Leaders of the world’s biggest economies have agreed to stop funding coal-fired power plants in poor countries. They’ve also made a vague commitment to seek carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century.” The commitments came as the Group of 20 biggest economies wrapped up a two-day Rome summit before the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The outcome disappointed climate activists, the chief of the U.N. and Britain. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the commitments agreed to in Rome were mere “drops in a rapidly warming ocean.” U.S. President Joe Biden said Russia and China ’basically didn’t show up” with commitments to address the scourge of climate change.