US resists German G8 climate goals

The US has criticised Germany’s G8 goals on climate change in unusually blunt terms ahead of next week’s summit in Heiligendamm.

According to leaked documents, Washington has declared its “fundamental opposition” to Berlin’s goal of agreeing on common targets on climate change.

Germany, which holds this year’s G8 presidency, is pushing for agreement at the 7-8 June G8 summit on targets and timetables for steep cuts in CO2 emissions and increases in energy efficiency. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a deal to curb the rise in temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius this century, cut global emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 and raise energy efficiency by 20 per cent by 2020.

But US opposition to the proposal is very clear in a leaked draft of the communiqué to be presented at the June summit.

“The treatment of climate change runs counter to our overall position and crosses multiple ‘red lines’ in terms of what we simply cannot agree to,” the paper reads.

Specifically, the paper says “The proposals within the sections titled ‘Fighting climate change’ and ‘Carbon markets’ are fundamentally incompatible with the President’s approach to climate change”.

While the text is unsurprising given the US’s rejection of the 2001 Kyoto Protocol, the blunt language does not bode well for any kind of agreement on climate change in Heiligendamm.

If the G8 leaders fail to agree on caps and targets at the summit, this could also raise questions on whether leaders will succeed in revitalising the flagging negotiations to expand and extend Kyoto beyond 2012.

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