Francesca Paolucci*

 

 

From 19 to 21 September 2018, the G7 Environment was held in Halifax, Canada, on the theme "Working together on climate change, oceans and clean energy".

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson and Minister of Natural Resources, Amarjeet Sohi hosted the corresponding ministers of the G7 countries, representatives of Jamaica, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Norway, Seychelles, Vietnam and delegates of international organizations of industry and youth.

The environment, among the most sensitive issues on the international agenda, had been the subject of special provisions issued by the G7 leaders during the June summit in Charlevoix, Québec. 

The G7 Environment, on its opening day, had the objective of building on the basis of these provisions, a joint and coordinated action, highlighting the close relationship between a healthy planet and sustainable economic growth and encouraging sustainable finance and a more efficient use of resources to protect nature conservation.    

 

The Summit continued on 20 September with the G7 Joint Ministerial Session entitled "Healthy Oceans, Seas and Resilient Coastal Communities" which focused on issues related to marine pollution - in particular due to plastics - and threats to marine ecosystems, ocean warming, rising sea levels and illegal fishing. Ministers recognized in research and innovation the key resources for setting priorities in the adoption of solutions to reduce plastic at sea and, in this regard, launched the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Plastic Litter. At the same time, the importance of data collection and earth observation tools for improving the coastal resilience of vulnerable communities was emphasized, launching the G7 Initiative on Earth Observation and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, which will support the small island states and other coastal communities in developing countries.

 

 

THE ITALIAN CONTRIBUTION

The Minister of the Environment, Sergio Costa, represented Italy at the G7 Environment in Canada, illustrating the actions of the Italian Government in environmental matters, in particular the three points on which the Executive is going to operate to protect the Mediterranean Sea and develop an "environmental culture" in Italy: 

1. The bill called "Salva Mare", aimed at protecting marine waters from pollution caused by plastics, which also includes the support of fishermen in the collection and non-use of disposable plastics;
2. a second bill, aimed at reducing the use of plastics, addressed both to the business world (understood as a production chain) and to the consumers: on the one hand, helping companies not to produce plastic packaging and to use the tax credit, so that the entrepreneur is no longer the antagonist of the environment, but an ally. For the consumers, directing and encouraging towardsthe purchase of products with less (or zero) packaging, through an economic advantage for thosewho undertake to do so;
3. The third key point of Italian policy aimed at reducing plastic waste is education in schools, for the growth of the culture of the new generations in terms of environmental protection. In this regard, Minister Costa, during the meeting, illustrated the Italian initiative of last October 4, "plasticfree", inviting the other ministers of the G7 to repeat it in their ministries: a day entirely "free from plastic" launched by its own ministry to set a good example and to which more than 100 public administrations, universities, regions, municipalities and other ministries have joined.

 

THE ENERGY

The G7 environment ended on 21 September with the meeting of energy ministers and their representatives, to discuss the progress made since the 2017 meeting in Rome and plan future collaboration. 

The debate focused on the topic "Building the Energy System of Tomorrow (BEST)", or the promotion of secure, resilient, sustainable and clean, which provide low-carbon energy. There are four main pillars of the project: the development of sustainable energy resources, the preparation of the workforce, the promotion of interconnected energy markets, open, transparent and stable and the modernization of energy systems.

G7 members finally agreed to pursue two joint initiatives: Cybersecurity for Digitalized Energy Infrastructure Systems e Modernizing Power Systems and Grids Study.

 

 

The articles of the Centro Studi Italia Canada on the topic of environmental protection (newest first):

• GLOBE FORUM 2018
• Renewable energy: ENEL will build two wind farms in Canada
• Interview with Rémi Quirion, Chief Scientific of Québec
• The first World Conference of Large Rivers took place in Rome from the 23rd to the 25th of October
• Interview with Jean Lemire, Emissary for Climate Change and Northern Issues in Quebec

 

 

*Coordination, Research and Relations at Centro Studi Italia Canada