G20 Gathers in South Africa, U. S. Absent but Climate Talks Heat Up
U.S. Skips Summit, Leaving Global Discussions to Proceed
Leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies convened in Johannesburg this weekend, but one major player was notably absent: the United States. The U.S. skipped the summit due to some old and not very convincing claims about South Africa. This left the other countries to discuss critical topics like climate change and how to help poorer nations deal with its effects.
Preparing for a Climate-Focused Statement
The group had already prepared a draft statement before the meeting, which included sections on climate change. This was surprising because the U.S. government has been against including such topics in these discussions. The U.S. president has even questioned whether human activities are causing global warming, despite what most scientists say.
Key Topics of the Summit
The summit's main topics were:
- Preparing for extreme weather events
- Moving to cleaner energy sources
- Ensuring fair treatment for countries that produce important minerals for green technology
- Finding a better way for poorer countries to borrow money
Potential Benefits of the U.S. Boycott
Some people think the U.S. boycott might actually help South Africa. If the other countries can agree on a strong statement, it could show that multilateral talks can still make progress even without the U.S. involved. However, it's not clear what changes were made to the language to get everyone to agree, especially since the U.S. had objected to talking about climate change or renewable energy.
Symbolic Handover of Presidency
South Africa will pass the presidency of the G20 to the U.S. in 2026, but the country's president said he would symbolically hand over the role to an "empty chair" since the U.S. won't be sending its president or a high-ranking official to the handover.
