A Time For Action

Nice words were issued at the G-8 summit about reducing emissions that are causing climate change. But nice words alone won't change anything.

President Bush said "significant progress" was made on climate change at this week's summit meeting in Japan of the Group of Eight industrial powers and developing nations. In pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050, participants called climate change "one of the great global challenges of our time" and said their pledge would move the world toward "a carbon-free society."

But while the words were nice, the reality is that nothing that happened at the summit ensures that actions will back up those words. If the planet's nations are seriously going to address climate change, they need to do much more than issue high-minded statements.

Consider: The pledge set no interim goals for reaching the 50 percent mark by 2050, didn't set a baseline for the 50 percent reduction (50 percent from when? Today? The end of the year? 1990?) and didn't say how the cuts would be measured. Environmentalists said the cuts didn't go deep enough, and the United Nations' top climate official said the pledge was not legally binding and was open to vastly different interpretations.

In addition, key players declined to sign on to the 50 percent pledge.

China, India and other developing nations that use significant amounts of energy and emit equally significant amounts of greenhouse gases said the developed industrial nations should take the lead and that developing countries should have a lower goal. China — which already produces emissions close to U.S. levels — suggested that its emphasis would be on continuing to develop its economy.

The developing nations have a point. Until relatively recently, greenhouse gas emissions were primarily the product of developed industrial powers such as the United States and European countries.

But in their effort to develop their economies, nations such as India and China eventually could become the new primary emitters, even if their emissions per capita are relatively low now. Unless they agree to significant emissions cuts, the problem only will get worse.

The good news out of the conference was that Bush finally pledged the United States to a significant cut. He also got reluctant developing nations to be part of the process. In addition, he obtained pledges from the G-8 nations to dedicate $10 billion annually to technology research and development.

Over the past year, the administration has made some progress on the issue. But given Bush's foot-dragging over the previous years of his administration, even that is too little, too late. Real progress will have to wait for the next occupant of the White House.

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