G7 Environment Ministers Meet in Paris on Biodiversity and Pollution

A meeting of G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris on Thursday, but climate change has been left off the agenda. The Japan Times reported that the two-day event, hosted in Paris, focuses on less contentious issues. The office of France's ecology minister Monique Barbut said the meeting would focus on less contentious issues in an effort to appease the largest and most powerful G7 member.

'We chose not to address the climate issue head-on ... because the United States' positions on this subject are well known,' the ministry said. The Japan Times reported the meeting takes place in Paris, marking a deliberate shift away from direct confrontation on climate matters.