International action - The G8 and the Major Economies
Presidency of the G8
The Presidency of the G8 rotates between the G8 partner countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United States of America, United Kingdom) with each country assuming the chair for a period of 12 months.
The UK held the Presidency of the G8 from January - December 2005 and chose to focus on climate change and Africa as its two main themes. Since then climate change has been discussed by the G8 during each Presidency and was one of the main themes for Japan’s Presidency in 2008.
The Italian Presidency and G8 Summit in 2009 will be a key milestone on the route to an ambitious post-Kyoto deal at Copenhagen. The summit will offer an important opportunity for developed countries to give impetus to the UNFCCC negotiations by showing leadership on the level of ambition they think is required.
G8 Summit 2008, Toyako
At the 2008 G8 Summit in Toyako, Japan, the leaders of the G8 issued a statement demonstrating their commitment and strong leadership on climate change, setting out the need, together with the UNFCCC, to consider and adopt a global Long-Term Goal of a reduction in emissions of at least 50% by 2050. The G8 leaders also sent a clear message on their intention to take action and implement ambitious economy-wide mid-term goals and to agree a global international climate change framework when the 15th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meets in Copenhagen in 2009.
At the summit the G8 also committed to the implementation of the package of 25 recommendations for action on energy efficiency developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and welcomed the establishment of the International Partnership on Energy Efficiency Co-operation (IPEEC) – which was set up to facilitate the implementation of the IEA’s recommendations. If implemented globally without delay these recommendations could reduce global CO2 emissions by 20% per year by 2030.
The Prime Minister delivered a statement to the House of Commons, updating MPs on the outcomes of the summit, which outlined the growing international agreement on the need for ‘detailed collaborative actions’ on energy, climate change, trade and international development.
The Major Economies Meeting (MEM)
Alongside the G8 summit in Toyako in July 2008, the leaders of 16 Major Economies met to discuss climate change and energy security. Governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America participated.
Leaders of these countries issued a joint declaration which expressed for the first time their commitment to achieving a global climate agreement in Copenhagen in 2009. The declaration acknowledged the leadership role these countries must play in tackling climate change – the group is responsible for 80% of the world’s emissions. The declaration reflected the lively and useful dialogue which the summit and build up meetings comprised. This type of informal dialogue will be important in helping the world come to a global agreement in the UNFCCC in 2009.
The Gleneagles Dialogue
The Gleneagles Dialogue, launched as part of the UK’s Presidency of the G8 in 2005, was a process that brought together 20 countries with the greatest energy needs, including the G8 and the major emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, and allowed them to informally discuss innovative ideas and new measures to tackle climate change outside the formal negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Background information
Page last modified: 4 December 2008
Page published: 31 July 2006