{"id":27173,"date":"2008-07-07T03:58:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-07T03:58:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-05-14T18:37:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T18:37:12","slug":"2173-debate-what-would-you-tell-the-g8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/business\/2173-debate-what-would-you-tell-the-g8\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate: what would you tell the G8?"},"content":{"rendered":"

All eyes are on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido, this week as leaders from the world’s major industrialised countries take part in a summit <\/a>at which climate change will be high on the agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meeting in Germany<\/a> last year, the Group of Eight (G8) leaders – from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – agreed to “seriously consider” a goal of halving global greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. They also committed to negotiate a new international deal on slowing climate change beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.<\/p>\n

With these agreements in mind, the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon urged<\/a> the G8 leaders last week to address the “triple crisis” of climate change, poverty and rising food prices at the meeting. But will they hear his call? And will the G8 listen to the appeals of scientists, business leaders and environmentalists? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Green groups say the world’s leading economies are lagging in their progress on climate change. <\/span><\/span>None are on target to reduce their emissions enough to avoid an unacceptable risk of catastrophic climate change, a recent report<\/a> from WWF and financial services company Allianz warned. Even the United Kingdom – the G8 country the report ranked first for its progress on climate change – was criticised for its very small share of renewable energy and unambitious targets on emissions reduction.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what can the leading economies do to address an increasingly urgent global threat? Last week almost 100 heads of major companies released a set of suggestions. In the CEO Climate Policy Recommendations to G8 Leaders<\/a> <\/em>a group of business leaders call for a new global deal built on the foundations of the Kyoto Protocol. They urge a pragmatic and market-oriented approach based on clear international commitments and sectoral agreements. <\/span>Rich countries will have to take the lead and demonstrate strong cuts in emissions, they say, proposing a<\/span> policy framework that includes a renewed emphasis on adaptation and technology transfer to developing countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The CEOs say:<\/p>\n

“A market for carbon is necessary but not sufficient to promote the rapid development, demonstration and wide deployment of clean technologies. While emissions and other mitigation commitments will help draw low-carbon technologies into the marketplace, other policy measures are also needed to stimulate markets, to ensure broader deployment of and equitable access to best available clean energy and GHG [greenhouse-gas] mitigation technologies, and to promote the development, deployment of new and close-to-market clean energy and GHG mitigation technologies. Such measures include:<\/p>\n