A three-day meeting of G8 environment ministers in Japan this weekend concluded with a familiar call for nations to agree on goals to cut emissions. The sentiment was formalized in a statement citing “strong political will” among G8 countries to agree to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2050 when they convene at the full G8 summit in Toyako, Japan, in July. “As we head toward the Toyako summit, I believe this meeting has provided momentum,” said Japanese Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita. The G8 ministers also called on developing nations to reduce their emissions, but said that developed nations should lead the way in combating climate change. More contentious, however, was the meeting’s failure to set emission-reduction goals for the much nearer future, despite warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that wealthy countries need to reduce their emissions by between 25 and 40 percent by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
