BROWN TO GREEN

This executive summary from the 2018 'Brown to Green' report analyzes the progress of G20 countries toward a low-carbon economy. It highlights a significant gap between current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the goals of the Paris Agreement, noting that G20 energy-related CO2 emissions began increasing again in 2017 and that 82% of the G20 energy supply remains dependent on fossil fuels.

• Current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from G20 countries are insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals, with current trajectories leading to a global temperature increase of approximately 3.2°C. India has the most ambitious NDC, while those of Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey would lead to warming exceeding 4°C if applied globally.
• G20 energy systems remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which account for 82% of the energy supply. While energy-related CO2 emissions stalled between 2014 and 2016, they began to increase again in 2017, with 15 G20 countries seeing increases in energy-related CO2 emissions that year.
• There are significant sectoral failures in the G20, particularly in power and transport. South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia have the highest emission intensity in the power sector and lack coal phase-out plans. In transport, the United States, Canada, and Australia have the highest per capita emissions, with the United States and Canada lacking adequate fuel efficiency standards and Australia having none.
• Financial policies in the G20 largely favor fossil fuels over climate action. In 2016, G20 countries provided US$147 billion in subsidies to coal, oil, and gas. Only Canada and France generate more public revenue from explicit carbon pricing than they spend on fossil fuel subsidies.
• Efforts toward a 'just transition' vary across the G20. Canada is developing a just transition plan for coal workers, and China is allocating 30 billion yuan (US$4.56 billion) to support the closure of inefficient coal mines and redeploy approximately 1 million workers. Conversely, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are noted as having no dialogue or action yet despite being socially affected.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). BROWN TO GREEN. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Annexure-E-Relevant-Extracts-from-Brown-to-Green-Report-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. BROWN TO GREEN. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Annexure-E-Relevant-Extracts-from-Brown-to-Green-Report-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=BROWN TO GREEN |date=2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Annexure-E-Relevant-Extracts-from-Brown-to-Green-Report-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2018brown, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{BROWN TO GREEN}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Annexure-E-Relevant-Extracts-from-Brown-to-Green-Report-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }