Summit approves climate ‘vision’

G8 leaders were joined by counterparts from the developing world.

Leaders from the world's developed nations and rising economic powers have agreed on a "shared vision" on climate change at the G8 summit in Japan.

But no specific agreements have been announced, and India and China have reportedly dismissed the rich nations' target of halving emissions by 2050.

Leaders from eight emerging economies held talks with the Group of Eight rich nations on the final day of the summit.

A US official said the broad agreement represented progress.

Jim Connaughton, chairman of President Bush's Council of Environmental Quality, told the Associated Press that the agreement "will give us greater confidence and commitments as we go to next year".


We, the leaders of the world's major economies, both developed and developing, commit to combat climate change in accordance with our common but differentiated responsibilities
G8 statement on climate

Full text: Leaders' statement
C02 emissions by country

The statement on climate was approved by the 16 nations on the third and final day of the summit in Toyako, northern Japan.

Signatories recognised the need for "deep cuts" in global greenhouse gas emissions to fight global warming.

But the statement stopped short of urging numerical targets for those reductions.

The document describes climate change as "one of the great global challenges of our time".

It adds that "leaders of the world's major economies, both developed and developing, commit to combat climate change in accordance with our common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities".

Global problems

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said the G8 leaders had demonstrated they were serious about tackling climate change.

"It is the very first time ever that leaders of the major economies have got down to vigorous discussions on a broad range of climate-change-related issues, and I believe that the leaders have shown strong political will," he said.

File image of a coal-fired plant in the US state of Georgia
There have been deep divisions over how to curb global emissions

BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said the inclusion of eight emerging nations is an admission that G8 decisions on their own are no longer enough - global problems need global solutions.

On Tuesday the G8 - which includes the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia - restated its "vision" of halving harmful emissions by 2050.

Emerging countries and environmentalists were scathing of the announcement.

Mexico, Brazil, China, India and South Africa challenged developed countries to cut their greenhouse emissions by more than 80% by 2050.

A spokesman for the WWF's Global Climate Initiative called the G8 statement "pretty pathetic".

Read full article on the BBC News website

Source: BBC News websiteSummit approves climate 'vision'
G8 meeting in Japan, 9 July.