Benefits and Challenges of Expanding the G7 Climate Club to a G20 Climate Club

At the end of 2022, the G7 countries launched a so-called climate club. The idea behind this initiative was that, on certain climate topics, a club of ambitious countries might make quicker progress than the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and help implement the Paris Agreement. However, one of the largest challenges is the membership of this club. The term ‘club’ usually refers to a special, exclusive group. Yet, climate change requires a global solution and thus different world regions, not just the G7 countries, need to be part of it. Moreover, if a (G7) club would come up with rules for industrial decarbonisation, or policy instruments favoured by some regions, e.g., carbon taxes, many more economies would be affected. This Policy Brief discusses the broadening of the G7 climate club to the G20 and how such a club could be designed.