TOKYO (AFP) — The Group of Eight rich nations summit in Italy next week is likely to call on industrialised countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, a report said Wednesday.
The reduction target is in the draft of a declaration to be issued at the end of the July 8-10 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, the Nikkei economic daily said, without naming its source.
The base year for comparison is likely to be set at 1990 but it may be a more recent year, and the target would be premised on halving global emissions, including by developing countries, by 2050, the paper said.
Japan's environment ministry did not confirm the report, telling AFP that negotiations were still under way.
At last year's G8 summit in Japan, members agreed to set a global target of cutting emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050. No base year was mentioned.
Japan for its part pledged a target of cutting emissions by 60 to 80 percent by 2050 from the current levels.
The US House of Representatives last week narrowly passed a bill aimed at reducing emissions by 83 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels.
The G8 club of rich nations groups Italy with Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Under the 192-party UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, nations are due to hammer out by December a new climate treaty which will replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
