As G7 hosts, Italy and Canada must lead the way on climate action

At the start of March, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto, a visit which culminated in the two leaders promising a Canada-Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Co-operation. At the top of the priority list for the roadmap: “energy security and the shift to a sustainable energy future, climate change and biodiversity.” As Italy hosts the 2024 G7 summit and Canada prepares itself for hosting in 2025, what this co-operation looks like holds paramount importance. The two leaders are not natural allies. On everything from immigration to LGBTQ+ rights, their politics are sharply opposed, and friction is inevitable. But they will also need to find a way to work together to address the mounting challenges that confront the G7—especially that of restoring credibility and trust with the Global South. Amid geopolitical tensions and escalating conflicts, Trudeau and Meloni must seize this moment to deliver on one of the last bastions of multilateralism and international co-operation: climate action. Caroline Brouillette is the executive director of Climate Action Network - Réseau action climat Canada. Photograph courtesy of Caroline Brouillette At the forefront of discussion lies the outcome of the COP28 climate summit, which took place last December in Dubai and concluded with a historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. Steering the global shift away from fossil fuels securely, fairly, and globally is now a leadership imperative. With the clock ticking towards the critical 2030 mark, the next two years will be key leading to the 2025 progress check on G7 commitments such as phasing out coal and fossil fuel subsidies, and to the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The result of this year's G7 will echo through markets, sway investors, and sculpt multilateral outcomes, including COP29 in 2024 and COP30 in 2025. Luca Bergamaschi is co-founding director of ECCO, an Italian climate change think tank. Photograph courtesy of Luca Bergamaschi Canada and Italy have a crucial role in promoting accelerated climate action as the route to energy security and economic prosperity. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the energy transition has advanced, leading to increased energy security which was achieved mainly by cutting fossil fuel consumption through renewable energy and energy efficiency. For example, energy savings, energy efficiency, and the development of renewables have contributed to reducing Italy’s gas demand by 10 per cent in 2022 and a further 10 per cent in 2023, year on year. The G7 should also highlight that in a net-zero by 2050 scenario, decline in fossil fuels demand negates the need for new oil and gas projects, and that COP28 commitments to triple renewables and double efficiency are projected to deliver 85 per cent of required cuts in unabated fossil fuels by 2030, which will make energy more affordable for businesses and households. As major oil and gas producers and consumers, Canada and Italy must also show they are serious about transitioning away from fossil fuels domestically in a just way. This entails concrete steps towards phasing out coal, oil, and gas while ramping up renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. To be effective, Canada's Clean Electricity Regulations and proposed emissions capping framework for the oil and gas sector must be implemented quickly and the loopholes closed. Italy's review of its 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan—due in June—needs a much clearer governance structure, implementation policies, financial assessments, and industry decarbonization plans. The two countries must set a constructive tone regarding climate finance and a clear commitment for finance system transformation. A strong climate finance proposal from G7 nations—those most responsible for the climate crisis, and with the largest capacity to pay—is critical for a worldwide shift towards cleaner energy and to help address the growing impacts of climate change. This involves providing a lot more public funding to reduce emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources, as well as supporting initiatives to adapt to climate impacts and respond to losses and damages. Additionally, it means backing reforms in how international finance is governed so that decision-making power is distributed more fairly. Acknowledging both Africa's vulnerability to climate change and its relatively low historical responsibility for global emissions, Italy and Canada must recognize that any strategy to promote development on the continent cannot exclude climate action and clean energy, as emphasised in the African Leaders’ Nairobi Declaration on Climate and Call to Action in September 2023. Enabling a climate prosperous transition in Africa will require stopping tax fraud, reforming global tax systems including introducing specific taxes and levies to increase climate finance, as well as addressing the barrier that high debt levels pose to domestic public investment for climate action. Critically, western governments and companies must stop entrapping the continent in new fossil fuel production, which is in no one’s public interest. Finally, until the conventions and institutions to protect the most fundamental human rights and democratic rules are respected, international co-operation on tackling the climate crisis will remain fragile, incomplete, and incoherent. Co-operation between Canada and Italy offers a chance to energize worldwide climate efforts. The two leaders must prove the G7's commitment to a sustainable future while championing equitable development and climate justice worldwide. Meloni’s visit to Canada has marked a promising start to the collaboration, but there’s a lot of road ahead to travel. Caroline Brouillette is the executive director of Climate Action Network - Réseau action climat Canada. Luca Bergamaschi is co-founding director of ECCO, an Italian climate change think tank. The Hill Times