As the Group of Eight summit wrapped up in northern Japan on Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it's a "mathematical certainty" that developing countries will bear the brunt of the work in lowering global greenhouse gas emissions. -
His comments to reporters in the resort town of Toyako came as several developing countries reportedly balked at climate change targets proposed by the G8 countries the previous day.
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The major industrial countries represented by the G8 set a goal Tuesday to halve emissions that contribute to global warming by 2050, though no international baseline year was set and the plan lacked midterm goals.
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Harper said that by 2050, developed nations will likely account for no more than 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.
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"So, when we say we need participation by developing countries, this is not a philosophical position. This is a mathematical certainty," he told Canadian reporters at a news conference Wednesday.
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"You can't get a 50 per cent cut from 20 per cent of emissions."
Slowing rate might suffice
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The prime minister points out that doesn't mean emerging economies will need to cut their carbon output; slowing the rate by which their emissions grow might suffice.
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"I don't think the argument that we should do more if others are not doing anything at all will be a very credible argument that will get anybody very far," he said.
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"It's an interesting argument, but it can't be made by those who aren't doing anything. So I think the pressure will be on them to do something."
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But developing countries appear uneasy with proposed targets set out by G8 leaders.
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A Japanese official told reporters that five developing nations - China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa - rejected targets at a U.S.-brokered meeting between developed and developing countries on Wednesday.
3 others back G8 targets
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Three other nations invited to the meeting - Australia, Indonesia and South Korea - reportedly backed the G8 approach.
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In a statement issued after the meeting, there was no mention of 2050 targets endorsed earlier in the summit. Instead, it made reference to a vague pledge to back a UN effort to conclude a new climate pact by 2009.
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An aide to U.S. President George W. Bush conceded that no consensus had been reached at the meeting, saying countries cited economic concerns.
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"They want to be sure they can take steps that won't wreck their economy," James Connaughton, Bush's environment adviser, said in Toyako.
With files from the Associated Press