G8目標2050年溫室氣體減半 WWF評斷效果不彰

The leaders of the world's eight wealthiest countries, the G8, today announced that they support the goal of cutting global emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by half within 42 years.

"We seek to adopt, as a global goal, the goal of achieving at least 50 percent reduction of global greenhouse emission by 2050," the leaders said in a statement. "We, the G8, have confirmed today here at Toyako that this long-term goal is an appropriate and necessary goal for the Earth."

To achieve absolute emissions reductions, the G8 will implement "ambitious economy-wide mid-term goals," the leaders pledged.

In addition, they pointed to new multilateral "climate investment funds" that have been set up to assist the efforts of developing countries. In this context, Japan will promote its "Cool Earth Partnership Initiative."

Leaders of Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Korea are in Japan for that Wednesday meeting.

As part of the agreement, the G8 will set up a new international initiative for the research and development of innovative technologies to contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society. The leaders agreed to establish and hold an energy forum to focus on energy efficiency and new technologies.

In the past, the United States has been reluctant to endorse a numerical target for emissions reductions. This year, President George W. Bush did not block G8 agreement on the 2050 goal.

President Bush's "sherpa," Dan Price, formally titled assistant to the president for international economic affairs and deputy national security advisor, told reporters that the president had persuaded the other G8 leaders to establish the technology initiative.

"At the president's urging, the leaders collectively have committed to annually dedicate $10 billion to technology research and development, and the U.S. will be investing nearly half that amount, covering a quite broad range of technology needs and opportunities," said Price.

 At past G8 meetings, there have been general discussions about helping developing countries with new technologies. "Today, again at the president's urging, many of the G8 leaders have specifically committed to support the Clean Technology Fund, Price said.

This fund is expected to lower the cost of financing clean energy projects in developing countries, and help leverage greater amounts of public and private financing.

The deployment of technologies is linked to the elimination of trade barriers. The G8 leaders made their strongest statement to date about the importance and urgency of reaching agreement in the Doha trade negotiations on the elimination of trade barriers to the deployment of clean energy technology and services, particularly in key developing countries, said Price.

The G8 leaders welcomed decisions taken in Bali, Indonesia last December as the foundation for reaching a global agreement in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, process by 2009. "We are committed to its successful conclusion," they said in their five-page communique.

But some environmental advocates were critical of the G8 declaration. The target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 was described as "pathetic" and "dangerously short of what is needed" by Kim Carstensen, director of WWF's Global Climate Initiative.

In a statement, WWF accuses G8 leaders of failing to boost international climate negotiations and criticizes what the global conservation organization terms "the lack of commitment to mid-term targets."

WWF reminded the G8 leaders that scientific evidence clearly outlines an urgent need to cut global emissions "way more" than 50 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Carstensen said global emissions have to peak and decline in 10 to 15 years and rich nations must reduce emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020. She said, "These crucially important necessities are not reflected in the G8 communique."