International action - The G8 and the Gleneagles Dialogue
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 is one of the main themes for Japan’s Presidency in 2008.
- Japan’s G8 Presidency homepage (external link)
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 G8 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 Gleneagles Dialogue
The Gleneagles Dialogue, launched as part of the UK’s Presidency of the G8 in 2005, is a process that brings 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 allows 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).
Recent Developments
Page last modified: 17 July 2008
Page published: 31 July 2006