The G8 meeting in Japan proved to be nothing but an exercise of escapism from responsibilities towards the world and its poor, says Actionaid

Actionaid believes that the G8 summit has failed to put on the table any viable proposals or binding commitments to help the world's poor

“The outcome of the G8 summit is nothing more than an exercise in escapism,” said John Samuel Actionaid’s International director.

“They have been totally non-committal on major issues confronting the majority of the world’s poor people.

The G8 has not come out with an action plan to tackle the current global food crisis. It is appalling that the role of biofuels in perpetuating food security has neither been recognized nor acted upon.

 As a result the Declaration of the Meeting of Major Economies on Energy Security and Climate Change puts carbon emission targets on the back burner.

Targeting a global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050 is a step back from the minimum action that was demanded during the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in Bali last December.

Actionaid says 2050 is too far away and says the G8 have backtracked from their mid-term target of keeping global temperature rises to less than 2 degrees celsius by failing to agree on binding targets to reduce their own emission levels by at least 25–40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

“G8 leaders have done nothing to stop the toll that global warming is taking on people and the planet,” aid Rashed Al-Mahmood Titumir, Actionaid’s Policy head for Asia.
 
“Their procrastination is putting everyone’s rights to food and water at risk, but no one stands to pay a higher cost than poor people in developing countries who cause the tiniest share of total emissions.”

© Japan National Tourist Organisation