Biarritz (France), Aug 26 (IANS/AKI) Italy is at the forefront of the fight against climate change and is a European leader in renewable energies, outgoing Premier Giuseppe Conte said during the G7 summit in Biarritz on Monday.
"Italy occupies a position of leadership in Europe in the field of renewable energies.
"It is spearheading efforts towards a paradigm shift and to implement a global agenda to safeguard our children and future generations, " Conte wrote in a Facebook post, reiterated the remarks he said he made earlier on Monday at the G7 summit session centred on climate change and biodiversity.
A "three-pronged" approach is needed to battle climate change, he said.
"On the cultural level, we need to school children everywhere to be informed on these issues and the related risks.
"They must grow up with the awareness that the planet does not belong to use but is on loan to us," Conte said.
Economics is the second key weapon in combatting climate change, he underlined.
"At an economic level, we must motivate all governments to rework their industrial plans in order to channel their countries' output in an ecologically sustainable direction.
"Assuming the economic costs can be kept down, companies will become much more competitive, especially in the medium-to-long term."
Finance is also crucial to fighting climate change, Conte stressed.
"We must coordinate and make more efficient the many financial instruments which are already available," he stated.
The three-day G7 summit attended by the leaders of the world's seven richest democracies - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - ended on Monday.
US President Donald Trump did not attend the crucial discussion on climate and biodiversity and talks on how deal with the devastating Amazon rainforest fires as well as new ways to cut carbon emissions.
French President Emmanuel Macron had shunted the Amazon fires to the top of the summit agenda and announced that the G7 had agreed to an immediate fund of at least $20 million to help Amazon countries fight wildfires.
The summit also agreed to launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest, Macron said.
--IANS/AKI
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