NEW DELHI: The G20 bloc in South Africa adopted a landmark declaration on climate change, unanimously agreed upon despite opposition and boycott by the United States. In a break from tradition, the world leaders adopted a joint declaration on climate change despite the absence of the United States. The US boycotted the event due to a diplomatic rift with the host country.According to Reuters, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the US objected to the wording of the declaration. However, he emphasised that it could not be “renegotiated.” His remarks underscored growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington.In opening remarks to the summit, Ramaphosa acknowledged the “overwhelming consensus and agreement for the declaration. He said, “There’s been overwhelming consensus and agreement that one of the other tasks we should undertake right at the beginning is to adopt our declaration.”Also Read: G20 Summit: PM Modi proposes 4 big initiatives; focus on healthcare, knowledge and war on drugsRamaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, noted that the declaration was adopted unusually early in the proceedings, a move driven by the strong support it received. “Normally, the adoption of the declaration happens right at the end. But there was a sense that we should actually move to have the summit declaration adopted first as the first order of the day,” Magwenya said, according to AP.The South African officials also confirmed that Trump had put pressure on them not to adopt a leaders’ declaration in his absence. “We had the entire year of working towards this adoption, and the past week has been quite intense,” the spokesperson said.The inclusion of the term “climate change” was widely seen as a subtle rebuke to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly questioned the scientific consensus that human activity is the primary driver of global warming. For many observers, the language in the declaration underscored a deliberate effort by participating nations to reaffirm their commitment to climate science despite past US scepticism.
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