EU's Barroso Says G8 to Renew Climate Commitments
Date: 12-Jul-06
Country: BELGIUM
The G8 leaders meet in St. Petersburg on July 15-17, where energy security, infectious diseases and education will top the agenda during Russia's first stint as host.
Environmentalists fear global warming, which topped last year's agenda under Britain's presidency of the G8, has fallen to the back burner under Russia's leadership as members focus more on securing energy supplies.
But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said leaders at this weekend's summit would back the commitments made a year ago, when they called global warming "a serious and long-term challenge that has the potential to affect every part of the planet".
"We will use the meeting at St. Petersburg to renew the commitments we made together last year on climate change," Barroso told a news conference on Tuesday.
"G8 members will reinforce our cooperation in many other key sectors of the energy chain from renewables to energy efficiency (and) clean energy technologies," he said.
Emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) are blamed by scientists for causing the globe to heat up, potentially causing droughts, floods and rising sea levels.
