International campaigners criticise the G8 leaders for failing to come up
with decisive action plans on climate change.

RUSUTSU, JAPAN (JULY 9, 2008) REUTERS -
 International campaigners criticised the Group of Eight (G8) leaders
meeting in Japan on Wednesday (July 9), for failing to come up with decisive
action plans on climate change.
    "It is a meaningless statement that reflects one thing in
particular that Bush, Harper and Fukuda are unwilling to move forward, to do
what they need to do, which is set a clear 2020 target and this has to be a
target to cut emissions by 25 to 40 percent compared to 1990 levels,"
said Daniel Mittler, political advisor at Greenpeace International. 
    Earlier, the G8 rich nations and major emerging economies including
China and India said at a summit in Japan they supported a "shared
vision" for action on climate change, including a long-term goal for
cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
    U.S. President George W. Bush also addressed media in Hokkaido and
called progress on the issue "successful".
    But Mittler said the progress was not enough. 
    "Until Bush, Harper and Fukuda commit to such a target, then there
will be a movement and developing countries are quite right to not be willing
to give anything more in a statement such as this," Mittler said.
    China, India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil called on rich nations to
slash their carbon emissions by 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050,
and make cuts of 25 to 40 percent by 2020.
    "I think one good news item out of this meeting is that the G5
countries - Brazil, China, India and Mexico and South Africa - have developed
unified position on the key issues, partly in response to the this array of
weakness on the G8 statement," said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and
policy at Union of Concerned Scientists.
    The G8 nations emit about 40 percent of mankind's greenhouse gas
emissions. But China and India together emit about 25 percent of the total, a
proportion that is rising as their coal-fueled economies boom.
    Washington in particular has said a global climate deal is impossible
unless China and India make sacrifices. But the G5 not only failed to make an
offer of its own after a coordinating meeting on Tuesday but said the ball was
still in the G8's court. 
    The so-called Major Economies Meeting consisted of leaders from Group
of Five countries - India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa - as well as
leaders from South Korea, Australia and Indonesia. 
    The G8 members are Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the
United States and Britain.