G20 Slam Protests but Find No US Consensus on Climate Change

At the end of a two day summit in northern Germany, 19 of the world's leading economies have compromised on the Paris Climate accord by acknowledging that the United States has withdrawn, while renewing their commitment to the deal.

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But leaders from the G20 group were unanimous in condemning 72 hours of clashes with anti-capitalist protesters in Hamburg.

More than 200 police officers have been injured.

Some 143 people have been arrested and 122 taken into custody.

There's no official figure for the injured protesters but dozens are thought to have been hurt.

The final day saw more than 50,000 people take part in a peaceful "G20 - not welcome" afternoon demonstration. 

A huge spectrum of organizations joined anti-capitalists, left-wing parties, youth organizations, women's rights activists, environmentalists and many more.

Many highlighted the mass drowning of displaced people in the Mediterranean Sea. 

The world's climate, global inequality, the arms trade and neoliberal policies were other prominent themes.

German riot police officers detain a protester during demonstrations at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017 | Reuters

Thousands of anti-riot police were on standby and helicopters hovered overhead.

In the late evening, after the world leaders had left Hamburg, police turned on water cannon to disperse remaining protesters.

Emergency services said they were treating several injured people but gave no numbers.

A protester holds placard at the front of the German riot police during demonstrations at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017 | Reuters

Inside the trade fair building where the G20 summit took place, a final communique was eventually produced that remained very vague in a number of areas.

All 20 entities were unanimous in their belief that the regulation of financial markets must continue, as well as the need to combat terror financing and tax evasion. 

But the U.S. President Donald Trump won key concessions on trade and climate change.

While renewing a pledge against protectionism, the communiqué for the first time underlined the right of countries to protect their markets.

And 19 members including Russia, China and the European Union acknowledged Trump's decision to go his own way by taking the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate accord.

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Several environmental organizations still welcomed the rest of the member states' commitment to fighting climate change.

Andrew Steer, President of the World Resources Institute, called the final statement "a landslide victory for countries voicing support for global climate action."

Others also highlighted the isolation of the United States on the international scene as a result of Trump's decision to leave the Paris Accord

"The U.S. president's weak attempts to capsize the climate movement have failed: he is now marooned on a political island of his own making," stated Christian Aid's international climate lead Mohamed Adow.

Still, most environmental groups agree that summit will not be enough to save the planet: “The G19 should have committed to accelerate the transformation away from coal, oil, and gas," said Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International.

In a study recently released by Nature, scientists warned that there is only three years left to reverse climate change before the planet witnesses catastrophic and irreversible consequences.