Leaders of the world's biggest economies are set to tackle climate change on Sunday, the final day of a weekend summit in Rome that is widely expected to set the tone for the crucial COP26 conference due to get under way later in Scotland. The Group of 20 countries, which represent more than three-quarters of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, are looking for common ground on how to reduce them while helping poor countries deal with the impact of rising temperatures. If the G20 summit ends with only weak commitments, momentum could be lost for the larger talks in Glasgow which are due to take place over the next fortnight. Nearly 200 countries from around the globe will be represented including poor ones most vulnerable to rising seas, desertification and other effects. Leaders gathered on Sunday morning at Rome's Trevi Fountain before getting back to work hammering out a final statement on climate change. Each tossed a coin into the water in line with tradition, although US President Joe Biden was a notable absentee. A key but intractable issue they are seeking to address is the the future of coal, a key source of greenhouse gas emissions. The US and other countries are hoping to get a commitment to end overseas financing of coal-fired power generation, said a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview Biden's plans. Western countries have moved away from financing coal projects in developing countries, and major Asian economies are now doing the same: Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the UN General Assembly last month that Beijing would stop funding such projects, and Japan and South Korea made similar commitments earlier in the year. China has not set an end date for building domestic coal plants at home, however. Coal is still China's main source of power generation, and both China and India have resisted attempts for a G20 declaration on phasing out domestic coal consumption. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said before the Rome summit that he tried but could not get a commitment on a coal phase-out from Xi, who did not travel to the gathering. In Glasgow, Johnson said, "we want these leaders ... to focus on the commitments they can make, moving away from the use of fossil fuels, moving away from coal-fired power stations domestically." Climate campaigners are hoping that rich G20 countries will take steps to meet a long-standing but yet-to-be-fulfilled commitment to raise $100 billion annually to help developing countries move toward greener economies and adapt to the changing climate. Prince Charles, a long-time environmentalist, has arrived in Rome where he is set to address the G20 on Sunday. G20 leaders also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and the uneven distribution of vaccines in the world. On Saturday they endorsed a global minimum tax on corporations, a linchpin of new international tax rules aimed at blunting fiscal paradises amid skyrocketing profits of some multinationals. And after a meeting on the sidelines about Iran's nuclear program, Biden, Johnson, Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron made a joint statement expressing their "determination to ensure that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." They also voiced concern that Tehran "has accelerated the pace of provocative nuclear steps" after halting negotiations on a return to the nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. — Euronews
