G7 environment ministers meeting 2017 held in Bologna, Italy

Group of Seven (G7) Environment Ministers Meeting was held in Bologna, Italy on 11^th and 12^th June, 2017 to discuss issues ranging from climate change to sustainable development and litter at sea.

Highlights of G7 Environment Ministers Meeting 2017:

• The meeting was attended by the Environment Ministers of the seven countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan) and the Commissioners of the European Union for Environment and Climate.
• The meeting was also attended by the Environment Ministers of four outreach countries (Chile, Maldives, Ethiopia and Rwanda) that are committed to environmental policies.
• Discussions at the meeting focused on global environmental challenge, such as the state of implementation of the goals set by the Paris Agreement to fight climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN 2030 Agenda.
• Traditional G7 important issues, such as Marine Litter and Resource Efficiency were also discussed.
• ‘5-year Bologna Roadmap’ was adopted at the meeting, which focuses on important issues such as resource efficiency indicators, citizen involvement, awareness on food waste and economic analysis of the efficient use of resources.

In backdrop of US withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement, it is to be noted that U.S. environment chief Scott Pruitt exited the G7 meeting before the end, citing the reason that he had to attend the first full gathering of Donald Trump’s cabinet in Washington, US.

Quick Facts about G-7:

TheGroup of 7 (G7) is a group of seven major advanced economies viz. United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

• TheEuropean Union is also represented within the G7. These countries including European Union represent 70% of the net global wealth.
• Earlier, Canada was not a part of this group. It joined in 1976 and thereafter the group was referred to as G-7. In 1998 even Russia joined G-7, making it G-8. But in 2014 it was ejected when it annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.
• G-7’s key activity is to share views on short term economic outlook of global economy by taking into consideration monetary policies and trade equations.
• G7 presidency rotates annually between member countries. Presidency for the year 2017 is held by Italy. Canada will hold the G7 presidency in 2018.