iFreePress Bringing News on Time Every Time Elmau Castle, Germany, Jun 8 (AFP) G7 leaders said at a summit today that deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are required with a “decarburization of the global economy” over the course of this century.
If achieved, the decarburization target would mean that, by the year 2100, the group of seven major industrialized nations (the United Kingdom, Germany, U.S., Italy, Japan, France, Canada and the European Union) would no longer burn greenhouse gas-emitting fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas for energy.
She had reportedly been pushing for a commitment to a low-carbon economy, or relatively light use of fossil fuels by 2050.
“Putting off action until the end of the century will have a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the developing world”, Asad Rehman, global climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also announced that the G7 countries would raise $100 billion by 2020 to help poorer nations adapt to climate change.
“The two of those countries have been the most hard on every issue on climate. They do not want any types of targets in there, so I think they are trying to make it as vague as possible at this point”, said a source close to the negotiations.
Back home in Canada, opposition foreign affairs critic, New Democrat Paul Dewar, said Harper is hurting Canada’s global reputation by his refusal to agree to stronger emission goals or to discuss it with Merkel.
Canada and Japan worked behind the scenes to water down the G7 statement on climate change. “Unfortunately, Mr. Harper is fixated on ensuring that he obstructs all progress nationally or internationally”.
Harper’s office said in a statement that today’s French-led climate talks focused on the “collective response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the advancement of energy security in the face of escalating threats”. Several African leaders were present at the G7 meeting, including the newly elected president of Nigeria.
A senior Canadian government official, speaking on the condition they not be named, said Canada fully endorses a statement by the G7 that would support the December climate change talks in France.
Environment Canada data show emissions were 3.1 per cent below 2005 levels in 2013, but had risen four years in a row following the 2009 global downturn.
“We affirm our strong determination to adopt at the Climate Change Conference in December in Paris this year (COP21) a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) applicable to all parties that is ambitious, robust, inclusive and reflects evolving national circumstances”, the text states.
“It’s one of my pleasant surprises, to be honest, that the two countries that have been quite hesitant agreed to some language that runs counter to what they’re doing at home right now”, Jennifer Morgan, global director of the World Resources Institute’s climate program, said in a phone interview.
