'Crucial' time for global warming
Pastor Dale Morgan
'Crucial' time for global warming*
Feb 13 4:01 PM US/Eastern
This summer's meeting of G8 leaders presents a "tremendous opportunity"
to put in place a framework for fighting global warming after the Kyoto
Protocol runs out in 2012, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.
Mr Blair said there was now widespread agreement around the world about
the threat posed by climate change, as well as an enormous demand from
the people of many nations for their political leaders to do something
about it.
But he warned that agreement on a post-Kyoto process was far from
certain at the G8 gathering at Heiligendamm in Germany in June, and
considerable behind-the-scenes work was needed in advance of the meeting
to resolve technical details of any deal.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin following talks with Chancellor
Angela Merkel of Germany - this year's president of the G8 - Mr Blair
said that the coming months were an "absolutely crucial" period not only
for climate change but also for other global priorities such as the
Middle East peace process and the search for a world trade deal.
He promised to do "as much as I can" to secure success in these
negotiations in the few months left to him before he steps down as Prime
Minister, which he has said he would do by the start of September.