German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he wants to put soaring inflation, energy crisis and climate change at the center of the agenda when he meets fellow G7 leaders at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps.
Germany, which holds this year’s G7 rotating presidency, is hosting the gathering of the heads of state and government of the world’s seven leading industrialized nations from Sunday through Tuesday.
“Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is also having an impact here,” Scholz said in his video podcast on Saturday, pointing to steep rises in the prices of food and energy.
“Many things we buy are more expensive. Food, but especially the prices for energy. We notice that at the petrol station, we notice that when we have to pay the heating bill. Heating oil, gas — everything is much more expensive than a year ago,” he said, adding: “That’s why we have to prepare for it.”
The chancellor said the G7 leaders would discuss the current situation triggered by the war “and at the same time ensure that we stop manmade climate change.”
He stressed the need for a “climate club” to enable countries to work together to combat climate change as well as the current geopolitical and inflation crises.
The G7 club includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and Germany.
The meeting comes in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered a geopolitical crisis, food security issues in parts of the world and prompted many countries to slap sanctions on Russia.
Protesters gather in Munich before G7 summit
Meanwhile, tens of hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Munich on Saturday to protest the lack of adequate G7 action on the issue, such as phasing out of fossil fuels, preservation of biodiversity and fight against global hunger.
Police said they were expecting at least 20,000 protesters in the Bavarian city.
Authorities have deployed about 18,000 police officers around the summit site and the protests.
sri/fb (dpa, AP)
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