Global warming at G8 summit

Global warming at G8 summit



Pelosi Inscrutable on G8 Climate Agreement 
May 2007 - Speaker of the U.S. House of 
Representatives Nancy Pelosi declined Monday to say whether the 
United States would back Germany's strong position on global warming at 
next week's G8 summit. 
Pelosi held talks Monday with German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel 
on the first stop of a European tour she is making, accompanied by a 
bi-partisan delegation. 
After meeting with Pelosi Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said 
she would stand firm on the need for binding targets to combat global 
warming, despite U.S. objections. 
Greenpeace Saturday published a leaked document showing that the United 
States has raised "serious, fundamental concerns" about a proposed global 
warming declaration prepared by Germany for agreement at the G8 summit. 
In the declaration, Germany proposes to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50 
percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. This level of cuts is called 
for by scientists who say they are necessary to avert the worst 
consequences of global warming. 
 
After meeting with Merkel, Pelosi, a Democrat, called for "global and 
sustainable solutions" to halt climate change, including making greater 
use of advanced technology, a position also endorsed by the Bush 
administration. 
Pelosi said she agrees with Merkel that climate change "solutions must be 
multilateral." She praised Merkel's "extraordinary leadership" in 
addressing global warming. 
Merkel told parliament last week that she is not sure a climate agreement 
can be reached at the G8 summit to cover the period after the Kyoto 
Protocol on curbing greenhouse gas emissions expires in 2012. 
The United States did not ratify the Kyoto accord although all the other 
members of the G8 have done so. 
The Bush administration document rejects the idea of setting mandatory 
greenhouse gas emissions limits, as well as language calling for G8 
nations to raise overall energy efficiencies by 20 percent by 2020. 
The G8, or Group of Eight, nations are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, 
Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European 
Commission also attends G8 meetings. Germany currently holds the 
Presidency of the European Union. 
With a week to go before the three day G8 summit, which opens June 6, 
senior officials of the G8 nations will hold a new round of negotiations 
this week in an attempt to resolve last-minute differences. 
Pelosi told reporters her journey to Europe began with a fact-finding 
visit to Greenland where she said the delegation "saw first-hand evidence 
that climate change is a reality. There is just no denying it," she said. 
In 2006, Greenland experienced more days of melting snow and at higher 
altitudes than average over the past 18 years, according to a new NASA 
funded study using satellite observations. Findings released today show 
Greenland's melting snow can have a major impact on the vast ice sheet and 
on sea levels around the world. 
Pelosi, who has just established a new House committee on energy, said she 
wants to find "common ground" with the Bush administration on issues of 
energy and climate change.    

       
      

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