03
Jul 2008 - None of the leading industrialized
nations are currently on target to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions enough to avoid
the threshold level for unacceptable risk
of catastrophic climate change, according
to new research into national policies and
performance.
The G8 Climate Scorecards
2008, compiled by climate consultancy Ecofys
on a joint commission from environmental
organization WWF and international financial
services provider Allianz, was released
four days prior to the G8 summit in Japan.
Leading the race is
the UK, which is projected to reach its
Kyoto target and has introduced innovative
policies such as the Climate Change Bill.
France lies in second place just ahead of
Germany, which performs best on renewable
energy, but all three are at best half as
far along the road as they should be, with
the use of coal still a major problem.
Italy, Japan and Russia
are firmly entrenched in mid-table, while
bringing up the rear are Canada and the
USA which, according to the report, “is
no surprise given rising emissions and energy-intensive
economies and their failure to realize the
full potential of energy efficiency improvements”.
“Time is running out,”
said Regine Günther, Director of the
WWF Climate Change Programme in Germany.
“We have 10 to 15 years left in which the
global emissions have to peak and decline.
The world is at a crossroads where decisive
action now could translate into economic
success.”
The scorecards rank
the G8 countries according to nine quantitative
indicators, including past emission trends
since 11000 and progress against the country’s
Kyoto target. It also scores performance
on three specific policy areas - energy
efficiency, renewable energy, and development
of carbon markets.
The report analyzed
the policies of emerging economies Brazil,
China, India, Mexico and South Africa and,
while noting that they cannot be measured
by the same criteria, stressed that the
question of how industrialized countries
will assist these five countries remains
key.
Dr. Joachim Faber, holding
board member of Allianz SE, said: “The G8
countries have a responsibility to be high
achievers in the race against climate change.
They need to be role models trail-blazing
the way to steer the world towards a low
carbon, clean energy economy.”
Leaders at next week’s
summit in Japan should commit to a binding
long-term target for emission reductions
of 80% by 2050, and as close as possible
to 40% by 2020, the report states. “We expect
the Japanese Presidency of the Hokkaido
Summit to commit the G8 countries to significant
and binding emission reduction targets,”
said Günther.
“The G8 should pledge
financial and technology support for low
carbon development and for adaptation measures
in developing countries that are measurable,
reportable and verifiable.”
+ More
Media advisory - G8
Summit 2008 in Hokkaido, Japan
03 Jul 2008 - Media
Advisory
G8 Summit in Japan, 7-9 July 2008
Background: The meeting of G8 heads of states
and governments in Toyako, Japan, from 7
to 9 July marks an opportunity for a major
step forward on the road towards the new
global agreement on climate change that
the world aims to secure at the UN conference
in Copenhagen in 2009. A roadmap to Copenhagen
was decided at the UN conference in Bali
in December, but since then international
negotiations have not made the progress
needed to protect people and nature from
dangerous climate change. Only strong leadership
from industrialized countries can put the
negotiations back on track and bring success
in Copenhagen within reach. At recent UN
meetings developing countries have shown
the right spirit by making progressive proposals
on mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology.
If the G8 countries don’t follow their example
and keep shirking their responsibilities,
a new global climate treaty by 2009 will
become highly unlikely.
Key Issues:
• In Heiligendamm last year, the G8 agreed
to “seriously consider” reducing global
emissions by “at least” 50 per cent by 2050.
Rather than aiming at higher targets in
Toyako this year to reflect the best science
on climate change, some G8 countries only
ponder adopting the old “50 per cent by
2050” language – but without the “at least”
and without a clear reference to 11000 as
the appropriate base year. This reveals
a dangerous lack of ambition and stands
in sharp contrast to the urgency of the
task, as WWF believes that global emission
reductions of at least 80 per cent by 2050
are needed to keep global warming below
the danger threshold of 2°C. Mid-term
targets of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020 for
industrialized countries and a consensus
to peak and decline global emissions within
10 to 15 years are crucial for triggering
immediate action to make such long-term
goals reachable.
“The science is clear
that in the long term global emissions will
have to decrease far above 50 per cent by
2050”, says Kim Carstensen, Director of
WWF’s Global Climate Initiative. “Agreeing
to cut global emissions by 50 per cent by
2050 is simply not ambitious enough to keep
global warming below 2 degrees.”
• Emerging economies
will also attend the G8 Summit, as part
of the so-called Major Emitters Meetings
(MEM), initiated by the US and run in parallel
to the G8 process. Up to now the MEM have
hampered the G8 negotiations, and the G8
relies too much on results from the MEM,
instead of ensuring an ambitious G8 communique
on climate change. “Countries like China
and India also have to contribute to global
efforts on cutting emissions, but ambitious
mid-term targets by industrialized nations
are a crucial prerequisite”, says Kathrin
Gutmann, WWF International Climate Policy
Coordinator. “Rather than passing the buck
to those countries less capable, the world’s
eight wealthiest nations should do what
all real leaders do - move first.”
• This year’s G8 presidency
can be best described as blurry and undetermined,
as Japan’s Prime Minister Fukuda tries to
sell weak targets and half-baked proposals
as leadership, and fails to be credible
as a leader due to insufficient and delayed
domestic policies. The world needs progress
at the G8, and the G8 need a strong and
decisive host, thus Fukuda must turn 180
degrees.
“Japan must stop confusing the world with
the hardly visionary Fukuda Vision or with
flawed sectoral approaches”, says Naoyuki
Yamagishi, WWF Japan Climate Programme Leader.
“Prime Minister Fukuda should lead by example
and adopt strong domestic policies, first
of all an emission trading scheme and a
tough mid-term target for emission cuts
in the range of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020.”
Spokespeople in
Hokkaido:
Mr Kim Carstensen, Director WWF Global Climate
Initiative, +45-40-34-36-35, k.carstensen@wwf.dk;
Ms Kathrin Gutmann, WWF International Climate
Policy Coordinator,
Download WWF footage from: http://www.videonewsmanager.com/Default.aspx?i=2583&p=search
