| July 9, 2008 |  |
Major Economies Climate Meeting a “Sideshow;” Competing Visions on Full Display as Hokkaido Summit Ends
Statement by Alden Meyer, Union of Concerned Scientists
RUSUTSU, Japan — The only good news about the Bush "major economies meeting" (MEM) is that it has mercifully now come to an end—not with a bang, but a whimper. The clear split between the European Union and the United States, Canada and Japan on global warming policy was on full display these past three days. This fissure prevented the G-8 members from reaching any meaningful understanding with the major developing countries that came to Hokkaido for the major economies meeting. President Bush gets the lion's share of the blame for this failure of leadership, but Prime Minister Fukuda and Prime Minister Harper share responsibility as well.
There is no agreement among the industrialized countries on key issues, including the level of ambition and base year for both mid-term and long-term emissions reductions and how to meet the need for greatly ramped-up assistance to developing countries both for clean technology and adaptation measures. It is abundantly clear that until there is a new U.S. president who is prepared to join the EU and major developing countries in framing a truly responsible approach to the climate issue, little progress can be made.
One bright spot at this meeting is that the so-called G-5 countries—Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa—have developed a unified position on key issues, and issued their own detailed declaration in response to the G-8 leaders' statement. They made it clear that if "developed countries take the lead in achieving ambitious and absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions," they would be "committed to undertaking nationally appropriate mitigation … actions" aimed at "achieving a deviation from business-as-usual" emissions levels.
Now that the G-8 and Bush MEM sideshow is over, the focus shifts back to the United Nations negotiations on a new post-2012 climate treaty regime. That is where the issues that were ducked here in Hokkaido—science-based emissions reduction targets for industrialized countries, developing country mitigation measures, technology cooperation and financing, and adaptation—must be addressed, not with platitudes and rhetoric, but with concrete proposals and meaningful action to truly respond to the climate crisis.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
