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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Toyako, Japan)
For Immediate Release
July 8, 2008
G8 DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate Change
22. We reconfirm the significance of the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) as providing the most comprehensive assessment of
the science and encourage the continuation of the science-based
approach that should guide our climate protection efforts.
We reaffirm our commitment to take strong leadership in
combating climate change and in this respect, welcome decisions
taken in Bali as the foundation for reaching a global agreement
in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) process by 2009. We are committed to its successful
conclusion. Enhanced commitments or actions by all major
economies are essential for tackling climate change. Therefore,
we endorse the positive contribution of the Major Economies
Leaders Meeting to the UNFCCC.
23. We are committed to avoiding the most serious consequences
of climate change and determined to achieve the stabilization
of atmospheric concentrations of global greenhouse gases
consistent with the ultimate objective of Article 2 of the
Convention and within a time frame that should be compatible
with economic growth and energy security. Achieving this
objective will only be possible through common determination
of all major economies, over an appropriate time frame,
to slow, stop and reverse global growth of emissions and
move towards a low-carbon society. We seek to share with
all Parties to the UNFCCC the vision of, and together with
them to consider and adopt in the UNFCCC negotiations, the
goal of achieving at least 50% reduction of global emissions
by 2050, recognizing that this global challenge can only
be met by a global response, in particular, by the contributions
from all major economies, consistent with the principle
of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective
capabilities. Substantial progress toward such a long-term
goal requires, inter alia, in the near-term, the acceleration
of the deployment of existing technologies, and in the medium-
and long-term, will depend on the development and deployment
of low-carbon technologies in ways that will enable us to
meet our sustainable economic development and energy security
objectives. In this regard, we emphasize the importance
and urgency of adopting appropriate measures to stimulate
development and deployment of innovative technologies and
practices.
24. Making progress towards the shared vision, and a long-term
global goal will require mid-term goals and national plans
to achieve them. These plans may reflect a diversity of
mitigation and adaptation approaches. Sectoral approaches
are useful tools among others for achieving national emission
reduction objectives. We look forward to discussing this
issue with leaders of other major economies tomorrow and
to continuing the discussions among the major economies
and in the UNFCCC negotiations over the coming months. We
recognize that what the major developed economies do will
differ from what major developing economies do, consistent
with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities
and respective capabilities. In this respect, we acknowledge
our leadership role and each of us will implement ambitious
economy-wide mid-term goals in order to achieve absolute
emissions reductions and, where applicable, first stop the
growth of emissions as soon as possible, reflecting comparable
efforts among all developed economies, taking into account
differences in their national circumstances. We will also
help support the mitigation plans of major developing economies
by technology, financing and capacity-building. At the same
time, in order to ensure an effective and ambitious global
post-2012 climate regime, all major economies will need
to commit to meaningful mitigation actions to be bound in
the international agreement to be negotiated by the end
of 2009.
25. Sectoral approaches can be useful tools to improve
energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions through dissemination
of existing and new technologies in a manner compatible
with economic growth. We ask the IEA to enhance its work
on voluntary sectoral indicators through improved data collection,
complemented by business initiatives.
We emphasize the importance of expeditious discussions
in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for limiting
or reducing GHG emissions in the international aviation
and maritime sectors, bearing in mind the distinct processes
under the UNFCCC toward an agreed outcome for the post-2012
period.
26. We recognize the importance of setting mid-term, aspirational
goals for energy efficiency. In national goals and objectives,
as well as in country specific action plans, we will maximize
implementation of the IEA’s 25 recommendations on
energy efficiency.
We welcome the recent decision to establish the International
Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC), of
which the terms of association will be determined by the
end of this year, as a high level forum for enhancing and
coordinating our joint efforts to accelerate the adoption
of sound energy efficiency improvement practices.
We invite all interested countries to join those efforts.
27. We promote clean energy, given its importance in tackling
climate change and for the enhancement of energy security,
by setting national goals and formulating action plans followed
by appropriate monitoring. We believe that there are significant
and growing economic and employment opportunities in this
sector.
We recognize the important role of renewable energy in
tackling climate change and in the long term reducing our
dependency on fossil fuels.
We underscore the importance of sustainable biofuel production
and use. The same should apply for the broader use of biomass
for fuel, heat and electricity. We support the work of the
“Global Bioenergy Partnership” (GBEP) and invite
it to work with other relevant stakeholders to develop science-based
benchmarks and indicators for biofuel production and use.
We are committed to continuing research and development
of second generation biofuel technologies.
28. We witness that a growing number of countries have
expressed their interests in nuclear power programs as a
means to addressing climate change and energy security concerns.
These countries regard nuclear power as an essential instrument
in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and hence greenhouse
gas emissions. We reiterate that safeguards (nuclear nonproliferation),
nuclear safety and nuclear security (3S) are fundamental
principles for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Against
this background, an international initiative proposed by
Japan on 3S-based nuclear energy infrastructure will be
launched. We affirm the role of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) in this process.
29 Recognizing the linkage between the potential impacts
of climate change and development, mitigation and adaptation
strategies should be pursued as part of development and
poverty eradication efforts. A successful global response
to climate change requires a partnership between developing
and developed countries. Developing countries’ efforts
to put in place appropriate national mitigation and adaptation
plans to build low carbon, climate resilient economies,
should be supported by scaled up assistance from developed
countries.
30. Recognizing that poorer countries are among the most
vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, we
will continue and enhance cooperation with developing countries,
in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and small
island developing states, in their efforts to adapt to climate
change including disaster risk reduction. To address this
issue, we commit to support urgent actions to mainstream
adaptation into broader development strategies and encourage
developing countries themselves to integrate adaptation
into their development policies. The early start of activities
under the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund should make an important
contribution in this respect. We call on the multilateral
development banks and other development agencies to support
countries in this endeavor.
31. We will establish an international initiative with
the support of the IEA to develop roadmaps for innovative
technologies and cooperate upon existing and new partnerships,
including carbon capture and storage (CCS) and advanced
energy technologies. Reaffirming our Heiligendamm commitment
to urgently develop, deploy and foster clean energy technologies,
we recognize and encourage a wide range of policy instruments
such as transparent regulatory frameworks, economic and
fiscal incentives, and public/private partnerships to foster
private sector investments in new technologies. We strongly
support the launching of 20 large-scale CCS demonstration
projects globally by 2010, taking into account various national
circumstances, with a view to beginning broad deployment
of CCS by 2020.
To accelerate these and other efforts, we are committed
to increasing investment in both basic and applied environmental
and clean energy technology research and development (R&D),
and the promotion of commercialization including through
direct government funding and fiscal measures to encourage
private sector investment. In this respect, G8 members have
so far pledged over the next several years over US$10 billion
annually in direct government-funded R&D. We also agree
to take various policy and regulatory measures to provide
incentives for commercializing these technologies.
We note the opportunity to promote research on complementary
technological approaches which may contribute towards maintaining
a stable climate.
To respond to the growing demand for Earth observation
data, we will accelerate efforts within the Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which builds on the
work of UN specialized agencies and programs, in priority
areas, inter alia, climate change and water resources management,
by strengthening observation, prediction and data sharing.
We also support capacity building for developing countries
in earth observations and promote interoperability and linkage
with other partners.
32. Substantial finance and investments will be needed
to meet the urgent challenges of mitigation, adaptation
and access to clean energy in developing countries. While
the main sources of finance will be the private sector,
public resources are essential to help the poorest and to
leverage private resources, notably by financing incremental
costs and can be very effective in inducing emissions reduction
when national policies provide incentives for low carbon
investment. In this regard, we welcome and support the establishment
of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) including the Clean
Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF),
administered by the World Bank. G8 members have thus far
pledged approximately US$ 6 billion as an ODA contribution
to the funds and welcome commitments from other donors.
The CIF will scale up public and private finance. They will
have broad-based and inclusive governance mechanisms and,
as an interim measure, fill an immediate financial gap for
urgent actions until a new financial architecture under
the post-2012 regime is effective. The CTF will aim to promote
low-carbon economies by helping to finance deployment in
developing countries of commercially available cleaner energy
technologies through investments in support of credible
national mitigation plans that include low-carbon objectives.
The SCF will help more vulnerable countries develop climate-resilient
economies and take actions to prevent deforestation, and
could provide helpful lessons in the context of discussions
on post-2012 financing arrangements. These funds will complement
existing multilateral efforts, including the Global Environmental
Facility (GEF), which plays the key role as the main financial
instrument of the UNFCCC and which we are committed to reinforcing.
We also welcome various bilateral financial initiatives
taken by G8 members, including public/private partnerships
capable of generating additional investment. We expect such
financial assistance to be delivered in a coordinated manner
and encourage active engagement by developing countries
in an effective post-2012 framework.
33. Market mechanisms, such as emissions-trading within
and between countries, tax incentives, performance-based
regulation, fees or taxes and consumer labeling can provide
pricing signals and have the potential to deliver economic
incentives to the private sector. We also recognize that
they help to achieve emission reductions in a cost effective
manner and to stimulate long-term innovation. We intend
to promote such instruments in accordance with our national
circumstances and share experience on the effectiveness
of the different instruments. In this regard, we welcome
the Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement
of Private and Public Financial Institutions adopted by
our Finance Ministers.
34. Efforts in the WTO negotiations to eliminate tariffs
and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and services
should be enhanced with a view to disseminating clean technology
and skills. Additionally, consideration should be given
to the reduction or elimination of trade barriers on a voluntary
basis on goods and services directly linked to addressing
climate change. We also agree to encourage initiatives contributing
to climate change mitigation including purchasing and investment
policies and practices that promote and support the cleaner
and more efficient products and services that can contribute
to lower carbon emissions.
35. We welcome the final report of the Gleneagles Dialogue
on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development.
We also welcome the reports submitted by the IEA and the
World Bank on their work related to the Gleneagles Plan
of Action and continue to cooperate with those organizations.
We value the useful exchange of views both between member
countries and also business and civil society participants
and acknowledge the role that further exchanges of this
nature can play in supporting action on climate change and
the UNFCCC process.
We note the significant progress made by the multilateral
development banks on the Clean Energy Investment Framework
(CEIF) agreed at Gleneagles and welcome their joint level
of ambition to mobilize public and private investments of
over US$100 billion up to 2010 from within existing resources.
We call upon these Banks to build on the CEIF to develop
comprehensive strategies to guide the integration of climate
change into their development work and to set specific targets
for low carbon investments like renewable energy.
Forest
36. We encourage actions for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) including
the development of an international forest monitoring network
building on existing initiatives. Recognizing the urgent
need to curb illegal logging and its associated trade, we
welcome the G8 Forest Experts’ Report on Illegal Logging.
We will follow up, as appropriate, its preliminary list
of options. We will make all possible efforts by ensuring
close coordination among various fora and initiatives with
a view to promoting effective forest law enforcement and
governance and sustainable forest management worldwide.
We will also consider ways to enhance our cooperation to
combat forest fires.
Biodiversity
37. Recognizing the crucial importance of the conservation
and the sustainable use of biodiversity as highlighted at
the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the
Convention on Biological Diversity held in Bonn, we share
the concerns regarding the vulnerability of biodiversity.
We endorse the Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity and
reiterate our commitment to increase our efforts to reduce
the rate of biodiversity loss significantly in order to
achieve the globally agreed 2010 Biodiversity Target, including
by reducing threats from the illicit trade in wildlife.
We will promote a co-benefits approach that will lead to
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity as well. We note the importance of improving
the interface between research activities and the public
and policy makers.
3Rs
38. In implementing the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle), we recognize the importance of how we use
resources throughout their life cycles to a thriving global
economy and environment. To this end, we endorse the Kobe
3R Action Plan. We will set targets as appropriate taking
into account resource productivity, based on the work of
the OECD in furthering efforts to optimize resource cycles.
We recognize the importance of information sharing, stakeholder
partnerships, and the inclusion of 3R viewpoint in project
development and investment. We recognize the significance
of reducing barriers to trade in remanufactured goods and
for the G8 members to the WTO to support the recently submitted
proposal to liberalize trade in remanufactured goods under
the WTO Doha Round. We support the international circulation
of reusable and recyclable materials and resources in an
environmentally sound manner consistent with the Basel Convention.
Education for Sustainable Development
39. We promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
by supporting the UNESCO and other organizations in the
field of ESD and through knowledge networks among relevant
institutions including universities to encourage actions
by the public leading to a more sustainable and low carbon
society.
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