Boris gets it right in Rome: Let’s not end up like Roman Empire

While lacking the muscle many wanted, the G20 summit in Rome perhaps had a sanguine conclusion

By Jon Van Housen and Mariella Radaelli

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for the G20 of World Leaders Summit. — AFP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for the G20 of World Leaders Summit. — AFP

Published: Mon 1 Nov 2021, 11:37 PM

It was a charming start to the weekend G20 summit in Rome as US President Joe Biden met Pope Francis, swapping banter about ageing and an iconic American baseball player.

But the following two days were far less lighthearted as Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the man often credited with saving the euro, attempted to demonstrate as host that the G20 is also robust and prepared to meet the multiple serious crises of our time.


Comprised of countries that together generate 80 per cent of global GDP and over 75 per cent of greenhouse gases (GHG), the Rome G20 was the first in-person summit since the pandemic began and held as the initial element in a rare overlap of global conferences. After the G20 concluded on Sunday, most major participants immediately decamped for Glasgow, Scotland, where the COP26 forum on climate change organized by the United Nations was already under way.

As world leaders arrived in Rome for the G20 and prepared to consider the serious issues at hand, many and their entourage took some time to enjoy the climate, beauty and stunning history of the Eternal City that for a few days turned to be Caput Mundi again.


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used the backdrop of the Colosseum to muse about the decline of civilisations. He seemed to glory in a private visit to the iconic symbol, but warned: “We must be careful not to end up like the Roman Empire.”

“We will end up there if we do not intervene seriously, quickly and clearly on climate change,” said the prime minister, who holds a degree in Classic languages and has a keen interest in history. “These amazing ruins are the symbol of how progress can stop if human arrogance is not controlled. In the fifth century, progress stopped and we came to live in a dark era. We hope it will not happen again.”

As Indian Premier Narendra Modi arrived for his first official visit to Italy, he also met the pope, to whom he gave a silver candelabra and a book on climate change. The two discussed poverty and also the pandemic. Later Modi invited the Pope to India.

Italian first lady Serena Draghi guided participants’ wives and husbands through some of Rome’s best sites including the Baths of Emperor Diocletian, Villa Pamphilj, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum, among others.

In remarks to open the G20 conference, Italian Prime Minister Draghi said the world is rebounding from the economic impacts of the pandemic as counties “work together to build a new economic model”.

“It is clear that multilateralism is the best answer to the problems that we face today,” he told other world leaders in attendance at Rome’s Nuvola Convention Centre. “In many ways, it is the only possible answer. From the pandemic to climate change to fair and equitable taxation, going it alone is simply not an option.”

But he said the vast gulf in vaccination rates between affluent and poor countries threatens the recovery, noting about 70 per cent of citizens in wealthier countries have received at least one dose while the figure is just three per cent in poor countries, a disparity Draghi termed “morally unacceptable”.

Proving they can find common ground, on the first day of the conference leaders agreed to support a unified 15 per cent tax on multinationals, a move targeting global corporations and particularly tech giants — including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple — that move operations to low-tax countries.

“This is more than just a tax deal — it’s diplomacy reshaping our global economy and delivering for our people,” said US President Biden.

The new rules also aim to put an end to decades of tax competition between governments to attract foreign investment.

“There are good things to report here,” said outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. “The world community has agreed on minimum taxation of companies. That is a clear signal of justice in times of digitalization.”

But the deadly serious matters under consideration — the pandemic and climate change — proved harder to address. With Chinese President Xi Jinping not attending, instead sending an address by video link, the leader of the world’s biggest GHG emitter was not present as participants attempted to hammer out tangible targets in the battle against climate change.

In its final communique at the end of the conference, the G20 said it supports a target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but the firm details on how to do that are scant.

“Keeping 1.5 degrees within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries, taking into account different approaches,” said the watered-down statement.

And instead of setting a clear date for all countries to reach “carbon zero”— when the level of GHG produced and removed is equal – the final communique said it should be reached “by or around mid-century”.

The statement from G20 members agreed to stop funding new dirty coal plants abroad by the end of this year and reaffirmed the previously unmet commitment for $100 billion yearly for developing countries to battle climate change.

And in the fight against the pandemic, leaders vowed to support the WHO’s goal of vaccinating at least 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of this year and 70 per cent by the middle of 2022 by boosting the supply of vaccines in developing countries and removing supply and financing constraints.

While lacking the muscle many wanted, the summit perhaps had a sanguine conclusion. On a sunny day, participants absorbed the beauty of Rome, likely embracing the sublime that humanity stands to lose on this planet if it doesn’t change its ways.

Maybe the most inspiring act was a display of hope as world leaders stood together at the Trevi Fountain and tossed a special one euro coin over their shoulders into the Baroque masterpiece.

Intended as a playful counterpoint to a sober summit, it hints that a little stroke of luck would be most helpful.

Jon Van Housen and Mariella Radaelli are veteran international journalists based in Milan


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