Leaders have agreed on a climate deal similar to the one struck in Argentina in 2018. The US has again refused to commit to tackling climate change.
Image: Reuters/J. Silva
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World leaders attending the 2019 G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka on Saturday agreed to a climate change deal similar to that signed in Argentina last year.
Speaking at the conclusion of the summit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the leaders had found common ground on climate change despite "big differences" in the members' views.
"We will have a similar text to Argentina. A 19+1 declaration," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.
As at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires, the new declaration states that the US reiterated its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement "because it disadvantages American workers and taxpayers."
The document said the signatories to the Paris Agreement reaffirmed their commitment to its full implementation.
To help achieve climate change prevention, the G20 nations "will look into a wide range of clean technologies and approaches, including smart cities, ecosystem and community based approaches, nature based solutions and traditional and indigenous knowledge," the final document read.
Europe melts under heat wave
France topped its all-time heat record, a wildfire is burning up forests in northeastern Spain, and multiple countries have issued health alerts. How is Europe dealing with this blast of hot weather?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H.-C. Dittrich
New record in France
A pharmacy sign in Carpentras, a village in southeastern France, which shortly held the country's all-time heat record of 44.3 degrees on Friday. The record was topped again later in the afternoon in the southern village of Villevieille, 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the east, which measured a thermometer-busting 45.1 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Valasseris
Scorched forests in Catalonia, Spain
Local authorities said that improperly stored chicken dung at a farm in rural northeastern Spain spontaneously combusted in the extreme heat on Wednesday, unleashing a wildfire that continued to burn on into Friday. Temperatures in the area around the fire reached 41 Celsius on Friday (106 Fahrenheit), as more than 600 firefighters battle the blaze.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Barrena
Hot in the city of love
Denizens of Paris cool down in the Trocadero esplanade. Pavement absorbs heat and takes longer to cool off, which makes cities feel even hotter during a heat wave. Air conditioning is also uncommon in many cities in northern Europe, which can make being indoors unbearable, as buildings trap the heat. A 2003 heatwave in France killed 15,000 people.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/B. Samuel
Homeless at risk in Italy
A volunteer hands water to a homeless man in Milan, Italy, where the mercury has topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in recent days. A heat wave alert was issued Friday in Milan, and an elderly homeless man reportedly died from heatstroke in a park near city's main train station. The extreme temperatures in Italy are expected to ease over the weekend.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/L. Bruno
River bathing in Munich
Bathers lounge on the rocky banks of the Isar river in Munich on Thursday. Last weekend, dozens of women who were bathing topless on the Isar were ordered by police to cover up, sparking a debate on public nudity. Nude beaches are common throughout Germany. The banks of the Isar should be full this weekend, with temperatures in Munich expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
Sorbet for polar bears
A polar bear cools off at the Hanover Zoo in Germany with a frozen sorbet. Zookeepers across Europe have been helping animals beat the heat with mixtures of fruit frozen in ice. Polar bears are also given frozen fish. On Thursday, France banned the transportation of live animals due to the extreme temperatures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H.-C. Dittrich
Sahara heat in Europe
A weather pattern that has stuck over Europe for almost a week is channeling extremely hot air from the Sahara desert northward. The World Meteorological Association said 2019 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record, and that heatwaves like the one currently scorching Europe are projected to happen more frequently.
Image: picture-alliance/united-archives/mcphoto
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Possible goal of 'net zero' emissions by 2050
Merkel praised the agreement, telling reporters in Japan that "this process cannot be turned around."
Merkel added that some leaders present in Osaka had already indicated they were willing to increase their commitments to curb greenhouse gases by aiming for "net zero" emissions by 2050.
"In our view, climate change will determine the destiny of mankind, so it is imperative that our generation makes the right choices," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a news conference with his French counterpart and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres following the climate change talks.
Abe said the 20 leaders at the G20 summit had also confirmed the need for a free, fair and non-discriminatory trade policy.
"The global economy continues to face downside risks as trade tensions persist," Abe told a news conference. "The G20 leaders agreed on the need for member countries to spearhead strong global economic growth", while standing ready to take further action if needed, he said.
Abe added that he had told US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that it was extremely important to engage in constructive discussion to solve their trade tensions.
Following their talks, Trump and Xi said the US and China had agreed to resume trade talks, and Washington would not place any more tariffs on Chinese exports for the time being.
