G8 acknowkledges need for climate action

GreenPrices Weekly, 11 June 2007 -­ At the G8 meeting at Heiligendamm last week, participants acknowledged the need to half global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. They promised to constructively participate in the UN Climate Change Conference in Indonesia in December 2007.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has succeeded in having all the G8 participants (US, Canada, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Russia and Japan) not only acknowledge the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to commit themselves to do so under the flag of the UN Climate Change Conference (Bali, December 2007), which aims to achieve a comprehensive post 2012-agreement.

The G8 declaration states that ³to address the urgent challenge of climate change, it is vital that the major economies that use the most energy and generate the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions agree on a detailed contribution for a new global framework by the end of 2008 which could contribute to a global agreement under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) by 2009.²

The declaration identifies energy efficiency improvement as the major tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), successfully implemented energy efficiency policies could contribute to 80% of avoided greenhouse gases while reducing energy dependency.

The statement identifies three major sectors for energy efficiency improvement: buildings, cars and power stations. Referring to a conference in April 2007 on energy efficiency in Berlin, the G8 proposes to set up a ³Sustainable Buildings Network² for sharing best practice in reducing energy need for cooling and heating.

Currently, 600 million motor vehicles inhabit the globe. By 2020, this amount is projected to double. Small wonder then that the document calls upon the governments to come up with measures to reduce transport emissions, such as reducing fuel consumption, changing to biofuels and reducing car usage. Cars should also carry energy efficiency labels, just as some white goods already do.

Assuming fossil fuels will remain the world¹s dominant source of energy for the next 25 years, it is important to make power generation more efficient and climate friendly. Techniques like cogeneration of heat and power (CHP) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are mentioned as means to this goal.

The G8-leaders reaffirm their responsibility to act. At the same time they call upon the emerging economies (India, China, Brazil, South-Africa, Mexico) ³to address the increase of their emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of their economic development².

Greenpeace is disappointed with the G8-statement, because the climate target (reduce greenhouse gas emissions with 50% by 2050) is not binding. Greenpeace: ³The final document agreed by the G8 contains a promise that all leaders will “seriously consider” the binding emission cuts the EU and almost all G8 members have committed to. In other words, Bush will watch, while the rest of the world, hopefully, acts.²

copyright © Het Inzicht / Jos Wassink, 2007