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Climate Change: G8 Gleneagles Dialogue

G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change

At the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in July 2005, the G8 agreed a comprehensive Plan of Action covering energy technologies, energy efficiency, R&D networks among many other initiatives. The G8 and Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa also agreed the Gleneagles Dialogue on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development. This aims to provide a forum for continuing discussions among these countries and others with significant energy needs. It is essential to engage these countries if a long-term solution to climate change is to be found. Bringing these countries into the debate is also a key requirement for the United States.

At the G8 Gleneagles summit the IEA was invited to be a partner in the climate change 'plan of action'. The IEA's G8 Gleneagles Programme aims to identify pathways to a better energy future through a work programme in the following areas: - Alternative energy scenarios and strategies; Energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, transport and industry; Cleaner fossil fuels; Carbon capture and storage; Renewable energy; Enhanced international co-operation.

The G8 Russian Presidency Summit was held in St Petersburg on 15-17 July.  Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa also attended.  It was agreed that there was a need to accelerate discussions on an inclusive dialogue for a post 2012 climate change framework, which included the US, China and India. The G8 also supported the need for a stabilisation goal for greenhouse gas concentrations.

At the Gleneagles Dialogue ministerial meeting at Monterrey, Mexico in October 2006, ministers heard presentations on the economics of climate change from Nick Stern, the costs and potential of low carbon technologies from the International Energy Agency and the investment frameworks that could fund these from the World Bank.  Ministers agreed on the urgency of the need for action on climate, but also the enormous gap between what we need to do and what we are currently on track to achieve.

A number of key initiatives and themes were launched at Monterrey: a joint UK-South Africa approach to finding alternative international climate change frameworks to put before negotiators; a joint UK-Mexico-Spain-Development Bank study testing the applicability of the World Bank Energy Investment Framework to renewables projects; a European Commission energy efficiency conference to explore the scope for a global agreement; widespread agreement on the vital importance of developing and deploying carbon capture and sequestration.

Germany will host the next meeting in 2007, coinciding with their presidency of the G8, where we will be looking to maintain the momentum of the Dialogue and see progress on the Gleneagles Plan of Action and the actions agreed at Monterrey. Japan will receive a formal report on progress on the Gleneagles agenda to their 2008 G8 Summit.