Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has signaled his intention to take up climate change as a key agenda item at the meeting of the Group of 20 advanced and developing economies that he will host next June.

“Japan will preside over the G20 next year and focus on accelerating the virtuous cycle of environmental protection and economic growth,” Abe said in an article he contributed to the Financial Times. The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Osaka.

In the article, he referred to torrential rain that ravaged areas of western Japan this summer, as well as typhoons, hurricanes and scorching heat waves that have hit many parts of the world.

“Climate change can be life-threatening to all generations, be it the elderly or the young and in developed and developing countries alike,” he wrote. “The problem is exacerbating more quickly than we expected. We must take more robust actions. And swiftly.

“The way forward is clear. We must save both the green of the Earth and the blue of its oceans.”

He explained Japan’s goal of evolving into a hydrogen-based energy society and the Government Pension Investment Fund’s environment-focused investments.

Abe invited the rest of the world to join Japan in tackling climate change, marine pollution and disaster risk reduction.