G-8 urged to focus on climate

  • 08/07/2008

  • Asian Age (New Delhi)

BY JOSEPH COLEMAN,Rusutsu, Japan July 7: Top industrialised nations need to push forward global talks on climate change and demonstrate their commitment to help poorer nations grapple with rising food prices, the UN and World Bank chiefs said on Monday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank president Robert Zoellick said rich nations need to strengthen their efforts to meet goals for poverty reduction and education because of instability in the world economy. "This G-8 summit must bring hope to those without hope, food to those without food," Mr Zoellick said. "For globalisation to succeed ... it must be both inclusive and sustainable." The comments came as G-8 leaders met with African heads of state and as aid groups accused wealthy nations of backsliding on a commitment to boost aid to Africa by $25 billion a year by 2010. The two also urged leaders to make progress on climate change and energise languishing UN-led talks aimed at concluding a new global agreement on global warming by the end of the year 2009. G-8 countries are far apart on how to address global warming. European countries are pushing for commitments to cut greenhouse gases by between 25 per cent and 40 per cent by 2020, but the US says that's unrealistic.