Africa’s First G20 Summit: A Chance for Climate Action
The global climate action agenda is facing significant challenges, with the United States’ President Donald Trump’s second term amplifying climate denialism and misinformation. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) and its member countries, once global climate leaders, are scaling back their climate ambition and action due to national security concerns stemming from the Ukraine war. However, the upcoming G20 summit in Africa presents an opportunity for like-minded G7 and BRICS+ members to come together and accelerate climate action.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has been the primary instrument for climate change action since its inception in 1995. Despite its efforts, progress has been hindered by consistent and powerful attacks on the United Nations and climate negotiations. As a result, climate action has had to rely on individual countries and mini-lateral blocks like the G7, BRICS, and G20, which are becoming increasingly prominent.
The G7, which originated in 1975 in response to the OPEC Oil Embargo, has had a rollercoaster ride in terms of climate action. While some members, such as the Europeans, have been at the forefront of the global climate dialogue, others, like Canada and Japan, have been more conservative. The US position on climate action has been determined by the White House, with Democrat presidents generally supporting climate action and Republican presidents resisting it.
In contrast, BRICS+, a bloc of 10 countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has shown significant leadership in climate action. China has become a low-carbon energy superpower, with 59% of its power generated by renewables, while Brazil has demonstrated climate leadership with 89% of its energy coming from renewables.
The G20, which represents countries with significant global economic influence, has the opportunity to bridge the geopolitical divide between the G7 and BRICS+. The November G20 summit, the first to be held on African soil, presents a chance for like-minded members to create a powerful climate club to accelerate action and African partnerships.
The South African Presidency’s G20 2025 framework outlines four priorities for climate action: strengthening disaster resilience and responsiveness, ensuring debt stability for low-income countries, mobilizing finance for Just Energy Transitions, and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development. These priorities have the potential to accelerate climate action and demonstrate the success of such an initiative in Africa.
As the continent that contributes the least to global emissions yet experiences catastrophic climate-related natural disasters, Africa is a prime candidate to demonstrate the success of climate action. The 2025 African G20 holds promise, and bridging divisions to form a new climate club could accelerate our collective trajectory toward a more sustainable world, possibly within the boundaries of the Paris Agreement.
