The Group of Eight major powers agreed Tuesday to at least halve global carbon emissions by 2050 in what leaders hailed as a step forward, but developing nations rejected as an "empty slogan". After two days huddled in the Japanese mountain resort of Toyako, leaders of the world's eight most powerful economies also voiced concern about soaring oil and food prices, pledged to speed up aid to Africa and threatened to take further action against Zimbabwe's regime. But the most contentious issue before them was climate change, with US President George W. Bush standing firm on his stance that developing countries must take action before rich nations would budge.
The leaders of the G8 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- said they shared a "vision" of reducing emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050. The summit last year in Heiligendamm, Germany had agreed only to "seriously consider" cuts in the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for heating up the planet. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that it was a "significant step forward from Heiligendamm". The G8 nations said they would each set their own interim targets for curbing greenhouse gas emissions for an unspecified amount of time after the Kyoto Protocol's obligations expire in 2012. But there are many people who are unhappy with the progress made at the summit. UN climate chief Yvo de Boer complained that elements on how rich nations would cut their own emissions in the next dozen years -- a period deemed critical by scientists -- was "completely missing." South Africa's environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the G8 had made no progress at all in stabilising the planet. James Hansen, one of the world's most respected climate scientist, slammed the summit's outcome as "worse than worthless." Daniel Mittler, a climate change expert at Greenpeace International, agreed, saying that "instead of action, the world got flowery words."
The G8 leaders can expect another difficult round of talks Wednesday when they are joined by leaders of the developing world. Chinese President Hu Jintao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and three other leaders of developing nations met in the nearby city of Sapporo Tuesday and urged that rich countries cut emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it was essential to set a long-term goal for global greenhouse emissions by 2050. He said the world cannot afford to wait until 2009, when nations are planning to try to conclude a new global warming treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol when its first phase expires in 2012. The United States has never ratified the Kyoto treaty, with Bush complaining that it puts too much of a burden on the U.S. and other developed countries to reduce emissions while developing giants such as China and India are given a freer rein to pollute even as they vigorously compete with America around the world. Bush will leave office next January, and both major candidates to succeed him have said they are willing to go further in cutting back American emissions. [End of report]
If you ask me, I am also very disappointed with the outcome of the summit so far regarding the issue of combating global warming. It's good to hear that the G8 members want to cut the global pollution by halve by 2050 but I think the question here is not why they want to do so but how. Everywhere you go, the people will know about the problem of global warming and they always say they want to solve it but they don't mention how they want to do it and we have seen the same thing happening again here. If you only pledge to cut global emissions but not agreeing on the ways to do, that would be meaningless. Every country has its own way to do it but you should at least agree on a common and specific way on how you are going about doing it because clearly 2050 is still a long way to go, a lot of things can happen. We dont even know if the world is still going to exist in 2050 but I would to think that it will but you cant wait that that long before you decide to do something right? The G8 members might be agreeing on what need to be done now but I believe that when the summit is over, they will all go back to their own way and forget about what they have agreed upon during the summit.
I think what we need to have is something like the Kyoto Protocol. I am not going to say that it have actually work entirely but to a certain extent, I would agree. But even if we have such thing again, I doubt that America will want to rectify it unless of course if China and India are included as well. The United States is the only major industrial nation to shun the Kyoto Protocol. President Bush argues that it is unfair because it makes no demands of growing emerging economies such as China and India. Things might change though as both major candidates to succeed President Bush have said they are willing to go further in cutting back American emissions. I know that it is important to have a long term goal for global greenhouse emissions but at the same time, it must be underpinned by ambitious midterm targets and actions. I don't understand why you must wait till 2050 before you want to take action because the longer you wait, the problem will get even worse. Major industrial nation need to do more to combat the problem. I dont think they need to wait for a treaty to be rectify before they start taking some action or wait for other developing countries to do so. It will be disastrous if the countries continue to play the waiting game on who is going to make the first move before you decide to follow suit.
The G8 members might consist some of the powerful nation in the world right now but yesterday's news was disappointing to hear. They might do well in solving other problem but when it come to saving the environment, I think they have fail once again.
*The report was taken from AFP & Associated Press.
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