Countdown to Copenhagen Environment Summit 2009
An Historic Danish Meeting of World Leaders Will Decide Green Policy
Jul 17, 2009
The G8 meeting that took place in Italy during July 2009 saw some progress in trying to formulate a binding global treaty to reduce carbon emissions, with the governments of the twenty most powerful countries agreeing for the first time that world temperatures must not be allowed to rise any more than two degrees centigrade. This has provided hope for more green progress at the UN Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark during December 2009.
Key Agreements From the 2009 G8 Meeting
The G8 meeting saw an historic conference among twenty of the most influential countries. The leaders of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States declared at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in L'Aquila, Italy, on July 9, 2009 that:
- Developed countries would lead by cutting emissions and developing green technology,
- Developing countries would work towards reaching their peak emissions as soon as possible,
- Forests would be protected and deforestation addressed,
- To double public investment in research, development and demonstration of green technology,
- The United States agreed to cut emissions by 80% before 2050 in line with other G8 nations, and
- Rich countries should cut emissions by 80%, and the whole world by 50%, by 2050.
Reaction to the G8 Meeting
There was widespread appreciation of the progress made at the 2009 G8 meeting, but also many warnings that it was not enough and that the political words needed to be acted upon as soon as possible.
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon warned that not enough had been done at the meeting to address climate change, and that targets for cuts in emissions were needed for 2020, as the current date of 2050 was too far in the future.
On the BBC website James Robbins wrote that the G8 wasn't really the place for a binding agreement, so any progress was welcome. He also cautioned that it would take some tough negotiating to find a decisive environmental breakthrough at the Copenhagen United Nations Summit.
The World Wildlife Fund welcomed the progress made at the G8 meeting, but added that at the moment none of the G8 countries are on target to cut emissions by 80% before 2050.
Their site features a league table of how the G8 countries are doing in comparison with each other, with Germany doing the best, followed by Britain and France. The full table: The league table reflects how Europe is leading the way in tackling climate change, and this is especially true since their historic meeting in Poland during December 2008 agreed to tough new laws to reduce carbon emissions.
- Germany
- Britain
- France
- Italy
- Japan
- Russia
- USA
- Canada
Conclusion
The G8 meeting made progress towards tackling global climate change but there is still much more agreement needed to transform intentions into action, and the Copenhagen UN Summit in December, 2009 should provide another chance for world leaders to seriously tackle excessive carbon emissions that threaten catastrophe for the planet.
 |
