G20 leaders pledge carbon neutrality, agree to limit warming

G20 leaders meeting in Rome on Sunday committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and pledged action on the use of coal.

However, according to a final draft communiqué the world leaders fell short on a target of zero emissions.

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The pledges by the Group of 20 major economies, who emit nearly 80 percent of carbon emissions, are viewed as crucial to the success of make-or-break UN climate talks taking place in Glasgow over the next fortnight

The leaders reportedly agreed to keep in play key commitments agreed at the landmark 2015 Paris accords.

Diplomats said the language used was tougher than in the Paris deal, but activist groups slammed the final statement as "weak" and half-hearted

According to the statement, leaders called for clear national plans that "align long-term ambition with short- and medium-term goals’

Experts say meeting the 1.5 degree target means slashing global emissions nearly in half by 2030 and to "net-zero" by 2050. However, there is no firm date in the G20 communique, which speaks only of reaching the goal of net zero "by or around mid century".