Climate Change to Be High on 2019 G-20 Summit Agenda: Abe

September 25, 2018

London- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has signaled his intention to take up climate change as a key agenda item at the summit meeting of the Group of 20 key advanced and developing economies he plans to host in June 2019.

"Japan will preside over the G-20 next year and focus on accelerating the virtuous cycle of environmental protection and economic growth," Abe said in an article he contributed to the Financial Times. The G-20 summit is scheduled to be held in Osaka, western Japan.

In the article, he referred to torrential rain that ravaged some areas in western Japan this summer and scorching heat waves, typhoons and hurricanes that have hit many parts of the world.

"Climate change can be life-threatening to all generations, be it the elderly or the young and in developed and developing countries alike," Abe noted. "The problem is exacerbating more quickly than we expected. We must take more robust actions. And swiftly."

"The way forward is clear," the prime minister said. "We must save both the green of the earth and the blue of its oceans."

He explained Japan's goal of evolving into a hydrogen-based energy society and the Government Pension Investment Fund's environment-focused investment.

Abe then invited the rest of the world to join Japan in tackling climate change, marine pollution and disaster risk reduction. Jiji Press