Blair calls for G-8 accord on 2050 CO2 cut target at July summit

TOKYO, June 28 Kyodo - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged Group of Eight leaders on Friday to agree to last year's Japan proposal to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 during their July 7 to 9 summit in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

''I think that this year's Japan G-8, its central thing is get the global 2050
target agreed, and then get the elements that will go into the package for next
year,'' Blair said in a question-and-answer session after delivering a speech in Tokyo.

At stake in the upcoming summit is whether leaders of Britain, Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will agree to the
mid-century target to show their resolve to fight global warming. At last
year's summit in Germany, the G-8 agreed to seriously consider the target.

The United States, however, has been reluctant about setting such a target
without the involvement of China, India and other emerging economies. Some data
show that China has now overtaken Washington as the world's biggest emitter of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases blamed for warming of the Earth.

Blair, currently on a visit to Japan, said that although a 2050 global target
''gives a clear direction'' in ways to address climate change, the G-8 would
also need to exercise leadership in describing ''a realistic pathway'' to
achieving the long-term goal.

''That implies shorter term goals,'' Blair said in the speech, alluding to the
need for the G-8 and other developed countries to set carbon-capping targets
for 2020 or 2030 in a new climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which
will expire in 2012.

''But these are immensely demanding, asking developed economies to move from
growth in emissions to significant cuts in 10 to 15 years,'' he said.

Setting emissions reduction targets for developed countries and mitigation
action plans by developing countries will be subject to two years of U.N.
negotiations on the shape of a post-Kyoto framework, which some 190 countries
agreed late last year to conclude at a key U.N. climate change meeting in
Copenhagen in December next year.

Blair suggested the G-8 and five major emerging economies -- which together
account for about three quarters of global emissions -- hold an informal
dialogue process through next year's G-8 summit in Italy to try to solve core
questions on a post-2012 framework, ahead of the Copenhagen conference.

Leaders of the five emerging economies -- Brazil, China, India, Mexico and
South Africa -- will take part in an outreach session of the Japan summit,
which will take place in the Lake Toya resort area of Hokkaido.

Blair called for increased funding and greater technology transfers to
developing countries, especially in the areas of carbon capture and storage and
civil nuclear power.

Without such assistance, the developing world ''will not be able to peak and
then reduce emissions within the necessary timescale,'' he said.

Blair, Britain's prime minister from 1997 to 2007, also stressed the importance
of curbing deforestation, which accounts for 15 to 20 percent of global carbon
emissions.

''Set a clear direction in Copenhagen and get the action under way,'' Blair
said. ''Make Copenhagen the beginning but not the end of a process that will
require constant adjustment over the years.''

Earlier in the day, Blair held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
and discussed climate change and other issues related to the G-8 summit.==Kyodo