THE COMMUNIQUE issued by leaders of the world's richest countries after their G8 summit in Japan represents a small step forward in confronting the multiple threats posed by climate change. They now "seek to share the goal of achieving at least a 50 per cent reduction by 2050" in human-induced greenhouse gas emissions culpable for causing global warming, rather than merely promising to "seriously consider" such a target.
But the latest form of words, clearly drafted to keep the United States on board, falls short of an actual commitment to achieve the required reduction - which itself is well below the 80 per cent cut that the scientific consensus says is really needed. What's more, there is no "road map" from the G8 in the form of medium-term targets for 2020 or 2030, as environmentalists have been vociferously demanding.
At the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali last December, delegates from more than 180 countries, rich and poor alike, committed themselves to negotiate a comprehensive global agreement on global warming in Copenhagen at the end of next year. Crucial talks to advance this goal will be held in the Polish city of Poznan this December, by which time George W Bush will be on the way out and the US will have a new president-elect. Encouragingly, both Barack Obama and John McCain are committed to dealing with climate change, including the introduction of a "cap and trade" regime aimed at cutting emissions in the US. Whether this commitment will survive in an era of recession and rising oil prices is a moot point, but at least the fact that oil is now more realistically priced to reflect its relative scarcity will spur the long-delayed advance of alternative energy technologies.
The world is running out of time in confronting the most serious environmental threat facing humanity. We have lost nearly eight years, during which progress might have been made, as a result of having sceptics and worse in charge of US policy on this issue. Unless the G8 countries move swiftly to lead by example, the chances of persuading China, India and other large developing countries to agree on a global approach to tackling the problem will be diminished, if not damaged irretrievably. Four of the G8 countries - Britain, France, Germany and Italy - are members of the European Union, and it is surely up to them to spearhead the international effort if the EU is to retain its leadership role on the climate front.