The communique's language drew the disapproval of many environmental groups, which said the targets were weak or ambiguous. They accused the summit leaders of not addressing fundamental differences among themselves on matters such as speed and method, resulting in a plan with little real meaning.
The environmental minister of South Africa, one of several developing countries whose support on climate change is being courted, called the long-term goal an "empty slogan" and took a veiled shot at the United States. "We know very well that there are many countries in the G-8 grouping that share our ambitious expectations, and therefore it is regrettable that the lowest common denominator in the G-8 determined the level of ambition," said Schalkwyk.
Other people who follow the issue closely, including Europeans who have criticized Bush's approach, saw significance in the move by a president who came to office questioning the science and impact of climate change and, until now, had refused to commit to any numerical goal.
At the last G-8 summit, in Germany a year ago, the United States alone refused to adopt the 50 percent target. While the White House has since said Bush would accept binding midterm targets as long as the developing world went along, European officials called it important that he agreed to place the language in the G-8 communique.
"I think that President Bush has moved considerably over the past one to two years," said Jos Delbeke, a top environmental official at the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union.
Michael A. Levi, director of the program on energy security and climate change at the Council on Foreign Relations, said in an interview that agreeing to the long-term goal is a "very important" step toward addressing a climate trend that many experts say is already causing environmental dislocations in parts of the world.
Early in his administration, Bush moved to keep the United States out of the Kyoto Protocol, straining relations with the European Union and Japan. His subsequent shift appears to have stemmed from firmer scientific findings, pressure from allies and Democrats in Congress, and the conclusion reached by senior White House officials that the president could not afford to be seen as absent from the debate.
White House aides say Bush genuinely wants a plan but thinks the debate to date has focused too often on unrealistic aims rather than specifics, such as new efficiency standards or helping developing countries create clean technologies. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have both indicated an interest in steeper emissions reductions than Bush wants, but Levi said U.S. allies, particularly Japan, have been reluctant to box in the next president by negotiating a deal without Bush and presenting it to his successor as a fait accompli.
"This sets a frame for negotiations that the next president, regardless of who it is, will be happy to work within," Levi said.
The global warming statement came on a busy day at the G-8 summit, taking place at a highly secured resort on the scenic island of Hokkaido. Bush and the leaders of Japan, Russia, Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Italy weighed in collectively on a panoply of world problems. They promised new steps to confront the escalating cost of food around the globe and expressed concern about the world economic slowdown.
The leaders pledged that $60 billion promised earlier to fight disease in Africa would be spent over five years and agreed, at the behest of the United States, to release reports detailing whether G-8 countries are meeting their aid commitments. Advocacy groups complained that the industrialized countries would not spend the money fast enough.
Source :http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/09/AR2008070900651_2.html?tid=informbox&sid=ST2008070900792&pos=
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