G8 To Halve Gas Emissions

Environment ministers from the Group of Eight rich nations on Monday urged their leaders to set a global target to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 when they meet for a summit in July.

The G8 agreed last year in Germany to consider halving global emissions by mid-century, a proposal favoured by Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada but opposed by the United States and Russia.

Environment ministers and representatives from the G8 were joined by major emerging economies such as China in western Japan to try to build momentum for talks on climate change, a key agenda for the summit in the northern Japanese resort of Toyako.

"On climate change, we strongly expressed the will to try to come to an agreement at the Toyako summit so we can have a target of at least halving emissions by 2050," Japanese Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita told a news conference, wrapping up three days of talks.

"To halve emissions, advanced countries should exercise leadership to achieve major cuts."

Delegates also called for rich countries to set mid-term targets, in a nod to developing countries at the meeting who called for the G8 to do more to reduce their emissions and help poorer nations with clean technologies.

"As for mid-term targets, it is necessary to set effective targets and advanced countries should lead the way," Kamoshita said, adding that developing countries with rapidly increasing emissions also needed to curtail the rate of increase.