G8 endorses halving of greenhouse gas emissions

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-7-8  |     ONLINE EDITION

Group of Eight (G8) leaders exchange talks as they head for for a group photo at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Toyako, Japan today. From L: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, US President George W. Bush, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. More in photo gallery

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LEADERS of the G8 countries have agreed on the long-term target of at least halving their greenhouse gas emission by 2050, participants of the G8 summit said today.

"A new, shared vision by the major economies on the climate challenge within the UNFCCC framework has emerged from the G8 in Toyako," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement shortly after the G8 working session in northern Japan.

"We have also agreed that we should also set up mid-term targets, as the EU is already establishing for 2020," said Barroso, who was present at the working session of G8 summit.

Japanese Prime Minsiter Yasuo Fukuda, playing host to the G8 summit, said that the leaders of the world's major industrialized nations have agreed to push for the G8 emission cut target to become that of the world.

Barroso said he was happy about the results of the summit as "the European Union benchmark for success at the summit has been achieved" and that it sent "a strong signal to citizens around the world."

"We remain on track to reach a global climate deal in Copenhagen in 2009," he added, referring to the next major international conference on climate change expected in the Danish capital late next year.

However, the G8 group has yet to set a target for the mid term reduction of greenhouse gase emission by 2020.