Quad Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP) unveiled at summit
As the entire world is grappling with climate change and environment issues, the Quad summit on Tuesday in Tokyo launched the "Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP)” with "mitigation” and "adaptation” as its two themes.
This announcement was made after the second in-person Quad summit attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
A joint statement by the four leaders said they have decided to individually and collectively further strengthen their cooperation to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, which poses especially serious challenges for the Indo-Pacific region.
“Recognising the urgent need to address climate change as emphasised in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, we will steadfastly implement the Paris Agreement and deliver on the outcomes of COP26,” according to the joint statement.
The four leaders also vowed to accelerate their efforts to raise global ambition, including reaching out to key stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region and supporting, strengthening, and enhancing climate actions by partners in the region including through mobilising climate finance, both public and private, and facilitating the research, development, and deployment of innovative technology.
“Today, we launch the "Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP)” with "mitigation” and "adaptation” as its two themes,” the statement said.
Q-CHAMP includes ongoing activities under the Quad Climate Working Group on: green shipping and ports aiming for a shared green corridor framework building on each Quad country's input; clean energy cooperation in clean hydrogen and methane emissions from the natural gas sector.
It also includes strengthening clean energy supply chains, welcoming the contribution of the Sydney Energy Forum; climate information services for developing an engagement strategy with Pacific island countries; and disaster risk reduction, including disaster and climate resilient infrastructure such as the efforts through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Its coverage includes new cooperation in clean fuel ammonia, CCUS/Carbon Recycling, cooperation and capacity building support to advance high integrity carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, climate-smart agriculture, knowledge sharing on subnational climate actions, and ecosystem-based adaptation.
“To make Q-CHAMP tangible, we are committed to expanding our programmes, in support of climate actions between our four countries as well as in the Indo-Pacific region. We recognise the immense challenges posed by climate change to the island nations of the Pacific,” the statement said.
“We welcome the new Australian Government's commitment to stronger action on climate change, including through passing legislation to achieve net zero by 2050 and lodging a new, ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution,” the joint statement added.
In March last year, President Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format that was followed by an in-person summit in Washington in September. The Quad leaders also held a virtual meeting in March. Australia will host the next Quad summit in 2023.