Pichetto Frattin said that this G7 will have to look for innovative models to accelerate investment, including private-public partnerships. “We definitely need to revise the financial system, finding mechanisms that overcome the current voluntary system,” he said.
While Italy, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, is in the leadership position at this weekend’s climate talks, the Meloni government is developing a record of digging its heels in on climate issues in Europe. Since Meloni came to power, Italy has repeatedly voted in protest or abstained on packaging regulations and environmental issues in the EU. phased Combustion engines by 2035.
Environmental groups say the government is not interest in climate change, despite several extreme weather events including drought and glacier collapse in Italy over the past few years. Melonie Last year convicted of catastrophic flood in Emilia Romagna region But bad weather,
Pichetto Frattin denied that the Meloni government was not prioritizing climate change, arguing that the government Target It aims to generate about two-thirds of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of the decade. “It is not true that we are against everything,” he said.
He argued that phasing out combustion-engine cars by 2035 is short-sighted because potential advances in cleaner fuels, such as hydrogen or biofuels, would mean that electricity is no longer the only clean option. “I don’t agree that the political powers of the commission dictate what the limits of technological research are,” he said.
As proof that the Italian government is serious about tackling climate change, Pichetto Frattin said Italy will beat other countries to closing their coal-fired power plants. “We are prepared to completely shut down our largest source of emissions, our coal plants, very soon,” he said.