Environment ministers and representatives from the Group of Seven nations expressed their resolve Monday to take a leading role in implementing the landmark climate accord reached last year.
In a communique that summarized two days of discussions in the city of Toyama, the participants agreed to push for adoption of the Paris climate accord and to bring forward the schedule for the submission of their mid-century, long-term strategies to tackle global warming before the 2020 deadline.
"As for the Paris Agreement, we were able to affirm our strong political will that the G-7 will take the lead toward implementing measures to tackle climate change," Environment Minister Tamayo Marukawa, who chaired the two-day meeting, said at a joint news conference with the other participants.