The world's major industrial nations and emerging powers failed to agree Wednesday on significant cuts in heat-trapping gases by 2050, unraveling an effort to build a global consensus to fight climate change, according to people following the talks... The breakdown on climate change underscored the difficulty in bridging divisions between the most developed countries like the United States and developing nations like China and India. In the end, people close to the talks said, the emerging powers refused to agree to the limits because they wanted industrial countries to commit to midterm goals in 2020 and to follow through on promises of financial and technological help in reducing emissions. "They're saying, `We just don't trust you guys,' " said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group based in the United States. "It's the same gridlock we had last year when Bush was president."
The breakdown on climate change underscored the difficulty in bridging divisions between the most developed countries like the United States and developing nations like China and India. In the end, people close to the talks said, the emerging powers refused to agree to the limits because they wanted industrial countries to commit to midterm goals in 2020 and to follow through on promises of financial and technological help in reducing emissions.
"They're saying, `We just don't trust you guys,' " said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group based in the United States. "It's the same gridlock we had last year when Bush was president."
Leaders of the Group of Eight nations backed for the first time an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gases by industrialized countries by mid-century and pledged to prevent temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. Their declaration, released at today's G-8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, incorporates a previous commitment to reduce emissions worldwide 50 percent by 2050, according to the statement provided by Italian officials. The U.S. and other countries previously declined to support calls to limit the average global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels. While White House officials called today's commitment a significant step forward on climate change, this week's meetings hit an impasse when China and India refused to support the reductions of 50 percent and 80 percent in a separate declaration.
Their declaration, released at today's G-8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, incorporates a previous commitment to reduce emissions worldwide 50 percent by 2050, according to the statement provided by Italian officials.
The U.S. and other countries previously declined to support calls to limit the average global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels. While White House officials called today's commitment a significant step forward on climate change, this week's meetings hit an impasse when China and India refused to support the reductions of 50 percent and 80 percent in a separate declaration.
Still a FAIL: I hate targets. A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
