G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue

The G8 + 5 are the heads of government from the G8, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus the heads of state from the five leading emerging global economies: China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa. The G8 + 5 is a discussion forum that is part of the British-led environmental group GLOBE International (GLOBE), which "was set up to encourage discussion of environmental issues between politicians and business leaders of the world's leading industrialised nations." On February 16, 2007, the G8 + 5 met in Washington, D.C. to discuss formulating a new non-binding agreement on climate change.

Non-Binding Agreements
At the February 2007 meeting, the delegates reached a new, non-binding, agreement on regulating climate change. They agreed first that "developing countries would have to face targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions" similar to those imposed upon developed nations, which has been a contentious issue from the start of climate change negotiations. They also agreed that a "limit should be decided for maximum acceptable carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere," and that a "global market should be formed to cap and trade carbon dioxide emissions."

Although these negotiations and their resulting agreements are non-binding, they do represent "the most detailed statement that has ever come out of a Globe meeting," and have therefore been seen to indicate "a real change" from hesitance in negotiations to an understanding that joint action must be taken.

G8 + 5 Members

 * Canada
 * France
 * Germany
 * Italy
 * Japan
 * Russia
 * The United Kingdom
 * The United States
 * China
 * India
 * Brazil
 * Mexico
 * South Africa

The Future
President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to create a Global Energy Forum, based on the G8+5 climate change dialogue, to focus extensively on global energy and environmental issues. Obama believes "this Global Energy Forum will complement -- and ultimately merge with -- the much larger negotiation process underway at the UN to develop a post-Kyoto framework."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Global Warming
 * G8
 * Global Energy Forum