'Difficult' G-20 talks show battle lines on coal and climate

China, India and Russia oppose G-7 push to limit global warming to 1.5 C

Japan's Environment Minister Shinjirō Koizumi waves as he arrives at the Palazzo Reale in Naples on July 23 for a G-20 meeting on the environment, climate and energy. © AP

TOMOHIRO EBUCHI, JUNYA IWAI and JUNTARO IWAI, Nikkei staff writers

July 25, 2021 02:15 JST

TOKYO -- The failure of Group of 20 environment and energy ministers to agree on a global temperature goal exposes the divide between advanced and emerging-market economies on the pace of industrial transformation needed to slow climate change.

Coal and a target for limiting global warming were two of the toughest sticking points between the U.S., Japan and European nations and China, Russia and India, according to Japanese government sources who traveled to Naples for the G-20 talks on Friday.