Leaders from the world’s 20 leading economies met in Rome for their first in-person gathering since the pandemic. According to the Rome Declaration, the G20 leaders sought to address today’s most pressing global challenges and converge upon common efforts to recover better from the COVID-19 crisis and enable sustainable and inclusive growth in countries worldwide.

Leaders held conversations about climate change on the final day of the summit. Heads of state and government sought to solve the complex problems regarding reform to combat global warming. The challenge is further complicated by the vested interests from countries such as Russia, China, and India, whose economies are primarily kept afloat by fossil fuels and coal.

The big area that needed to be addressed was when the countries would reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Seven leaders agreed to net-zero by 2050 compared to China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, who all placed 2060 as their target. As the world’s largest exporter of oil, Saudi Arabia looks to achieve this goal by following “off-setting” measures. This means doing things such as planting trees to reabsorb carbon emissions. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has additionally pledged $180bn (£130bn).