Zhibek Tokushova

FIN-19

G20 summit communiqué delivers little for climate.

Most recently, a summit of the G20 countries was held in Rome, where it was confirmed
that the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius was “within reach”.
However, he has made several specific commitments, apart from an agreement to phase out
coal financing from abroad this year. At the moment, based on statistics, we can say that the
G20 countries account for about 80% of global carbon emissions. They have a huge range of
interests in relation to the energy transition, so this makes coordination between these
countries important in solving the problem of decarbonization more broadly.
The most important short-term commitment of the communique was the commitment to stop
financing coal power abroad by the end of 2021. This followed commitments by China, Japan
and South Korea to end such funding earlier this year, joining the rest of the G7 members
who had previously made similar commitments. However, the communique did not contain
commitments to stop the use or financing of coal-fired power within the country, because
several G20 countries, including China and India, depend on coal for electricity production.
For a country like Kyrgyzstan, the commitments concluded by the summit do not play a big
role. Our country provides itself with coal and does not depend much on the G20 countries
Another important area of the agreement was the recognition of the impact of methane on
climate change. Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide,
although it remains in the atmosphere for much less time. A formal agreement on methane
regulation at the conference could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Actions to
reduce methane emissions will have a huge impact on the agricultural sector, hydraulic
fracturing and waste management methods, which are the most significant sources of
methane emissions. Unlike other countries, in Kyrgyzstan, methane has become a profitable
alternative to the more expensive propane-butane (also called LPG or autogas), gasoline and
diesel. It is 2.3 times cheaper than gasoline, more environmentally friendly, cleaner for the
engine and safer.

Methane can be refueled for 21 soms per cubic meter, propane - for 25 soms per liter, 92nd
gasoline - 46 soms per liter. In addition to the direct cheapness of methane, there is also an
indirect one: you can drive more kilometers on one cubic meter of methane than on a liter of
gasoline. Propane, on the contrary, is consumed 15-20 percent more than gasoline. It is much
more ecological than gasoline, which plays an important role for our country, especially in
winter. There is no sulfur in methane. For the environment, this is a plus: when fuel is
burned, sulfur oxides from gasoline or diesel react with water and form sulfuric and sulfuric
acids. Acids damage plants, and plants stop absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Looking ahead, we expect that at the summit, most countries will make only limited tangible
new commitments to reduce emissions, mainly due to disputes over financing the energy
transition in developing countries. Progress in more targeted areas, such as agreeing on
definitions of green finance or regulating methane, is more likely, but it doesn't play a very
big role.