The final gathering of the G20 Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) commenced in Chennai city with representatives from most G20 nations, nine guest nations, and 12 international and regional organizations in attendance.
Richa Sharma, Additional Secretary of India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, highlighted the key focus areas of the group, which include land degradation, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity & water resources, sustainable & resilient ocean-based economy, and resource efficiency & circular economy.
Previous meetings of the ECSWG were held in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai, where broader themes, integrated water resources management, and science & technology were discussed, respectively.
A significant highlight of the ongoing meeting is the launch of the Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) on Thursday. The coalition aims to bring together nations, industries, and experts to advance the global circularity agenda, and 39 firms from various sectors will be founding members.
The Global Circularity Gap Report warns that the global economy is only 7.2% circular and emphasizes that a global circular economy could fulfill people’s needs using only 70% of the materials currently extracted and used within safe planetary limits.
‘RECEIC’ will be an industry-led coalition, with governments playing a supportive role, and will include multinational firms from sectors such as steel, FMCG, beverages, electronics, IT, automobile, and manufacturing. Among the 39 firms participating in the coalition are Aditya Birla Group, Coca-Cola, HP Inc, Nestle India, Oppo, Siemens Ltd, Unilever, Maruti Suzuki India, and Tata Motors.
Additionally, on Friday, there will be a meeting of Ministers from G20 and invited nations, featuring keynote addresses by climate change experts, discussions between Environment and Climate Change Ministers from G20 nations, followed by the adoption of the High-Level Principles Document. The Ministerial meeting will be presided over by India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, and will conclude with the release of the Outcome and Presidency documents.
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