The Group of Eight leaders have reached an agreement on efforts to fight global warming, a main topic at their summit this week in Toyako, Hokkaido.
Although it is a modest step forward from their position in last year's summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, hopefully the agreement will help accelerate world efforts to work out a framework for greenhouse gas emissions reductions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The leading industrialized nations should assume greater responsibility for making strenuous emissions reductions efforts at home in order to induce other nations to join such efforts.
At the 2007 summit, the summiteers agreed to "consider seriously . . . at least a halving of global emissions by 2050." Such emission cuts are necessary to mitigate a rise in the world's average temperature and to minimize damage from climate change. Attention has focused on whether participants at this week's summit will go further than last year's commitment.