Main focus of Thursday, July 9, 2009

Progress in climate protection

The major industrial countries and emerging nations have agreed at the G8 summit in the Italian city of L'Aquila that the earth's atmosphere must not warm up by more than two degrees by the end of this century. While the industrial countries accepted concrete guidelines for sinking pollutant emissions, the emerging nations were not prepared to agree on emission reduction targets.

Financial Times - United Kingdom

The Financial Times calls on the G8 summit to step up its efforts in climate protection: "The summit meeting of the Group of Eight industrialised nations ... looks increasingly like an event in search of a purpose. The more broadly based G20, including China and India among others, is the place where deals on the global economy are being done. So what is the point of the G8? The answer should be: to galvanise the debate on climate change. A consensus is needed between the rich and poor for a new deal to slow down global warming. It is supposed to be finalised by the United Nations at Copenhagen in December. But to have any hope of progress there, the leaders gathered in L'Aquila this week must give a clear sense of direction." (09/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Global

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany

For the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung the climate protection resolutions are a success: "One could criticise what has been achieved in climate policy as inadequate, insufficiently ambitious and as too late. ... But it would be wrong - and unfair - to point to the refusal of the emerging economies to agree on concrete figures as proof of yet another failure in international climate policy. Because the stipulations the industrial nations and emerging markets have agreed on are an important step in the direction of the UN Climate Change Conference slated for December in Copenhagen. ... Working out climate policy is so difficult because those who must pay today will not reap the benefit of their efforts. Seen in this light, the climate resolutions taken at L'Aquila are a success." (09/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Global
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Corriere della Sera - Italy

The liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera lauds the G8 summit's courageous climate protection resolutions but voices concern over the decisive role played by China, whose leader Hu Jintao has already left the meeting. "For the first time the eight have committed themselves to reducing gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050. ... And this is exactly where Hu Jintao steps in. Because without the participation of China and India, the agreement runs the risk of jeopardising the climate conference in Copenhagen at which the Post-Kyoto Protocol is to be signed. ... Hu Jintao's absence will make itself felt today. Perhaps he too would reject the agreement. But it is improbable that his headless delegation will say yes. And once again we will have to keep putting pressure on China, which is holding the world hostage more than ever before." (09/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Global, » China
All available articles from » Franco Venturini

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