G8 Summit Opens Focusing on Climate Change & Russia Relations

The G8 Summit has opened in Germany, 6 June, immediately triggering disagreements over how climate change is to be tackled.

|PIC1|Controversy had already set in, with the US refusing to sign a binding deal on cutting carbon emissions - one of the key summit goals. US President George Bush's senior climate adviser, James Connaughton, said that the US did not believe the G8 should be the forum for setting targets.

He said, "There is significant agreement that those should be established on a national basis, and the only area of disagreement is that the G8 should dictate the national policies of its members."

Further potential trouble has emerged as Russia threatened to target weapons at Europe if US plans for a missile defence shield move ahead.

In addition, anti-G8 protestors have made their voices heard with thousands having to be broken up by police water canons.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has set an ambitious target of persuading the G8 countries to commit to cutting emissions by 50% by 2050, as well as increasing fuel efficiency by 20 per cent, and limiting the rise in world temperature to just 2C.

Upon his arrival in Heiligendamm, Bush said he had a "strong desire" to work with Mrs Merkel on a post-Kyoto agreement plan.

Bush also refused to be alarmed by Russia's threat to aim its missiles at Europe if the US continued its plans to build missile defence facilities in two former Soviet satellites, the Czech Republic and Poland. He said, "Russia is not going to attack Europe. Russia is not an enemy. There needs to be no military response because we're not at war with Russia. Russia is not a threat."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the BBC it was not in Russia's interest to have a "scratchy" relationship with the West. He explained that he and Putin would be having "a frank conversation about the state of the relationship between not simply Britain but Europe and Russia".

Up to 16,000 police officers have been assigned to the G8 Summit area, to ensure that the 6,000 protestors currently estimated do not cause similar disturbances as were seen last weekend in Rostock, where protests turned violent and some 1,000 people were injured.