G8 leaders agree climate change target
Leaders of the world’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide today agreed to seek measures to limit global warming to 2C, but failed to seal a deal on reductions in greenhouse gases.
The declaration, which is the first time America, China and India have all put their names to a target for limiting climate change, came at the G8 summit in Italy which also saw agreement on renewed efforts to conclude a key global trade deal by 2010.
Today’s agreement on climate change was reached at a meeting of the Major Economies Forum, chaired by US President Barack Obama, which brought together the G8 countries Britain, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia with emerging economic giants China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa as well as major greenhouse gas emitters the EU, Australia, South Korea and Indonesia.
A communique issued after the talks recognised the scientific consensus that global warming should not be allowed to exceed 2C above pre-industrial levels.
And the signatories agreed to work between now and the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen this December “to identify a global goal for substantially reducing global emissions by 2050”.
The G8 nations yesterday indicated that they were ready to cut their own emissions by 80% by the middle of the century, but firm commitments on reductions by fast-growing economies like China will be needed if the world is to hit the 50% cut believed necessary to keep warming below 2C.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the agreement, but said nations need to establish a strong and ambitious mid-term target for emissions cuts by 2020.
“This is politically and morally imperative and a historic responsibility for the leaders... for the future of humanity, even for the future of Planet Earth,” he told the BBC.
| Related Stories: |
|
