U.S. President George W. Bush has urged the industrialised nations to co-operate over climate change ahead of this week's G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. Speaking at a joint press conference with host Japanese Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, the president said he would use the summit to advance American ideas on combating climate change.

Though sounding as if he intended to lead other G8 leaders towards a useful and binding conclusion on the restriction of carbon emissions, Bush hinted that, unless emerging industrial nations like China and India don't agree with his proposal, nothing could be achieved.

He said he intends to:

"remind people that the United States and Japan really do lead the world in research when it comes to clean technologies."
Bush added, however, that "I also am realistic enough to tell you that if China and India don't share that same aspiration, that we're not going to solve the problem." [source]

The United States has in the past refused to sign up to any binding carbon emissions agreement arguing that it should apply to all countries, not just advanced economies. Critics of the Bush administration's policies have said that unless the U.S. takes the lead, other high-polluting economies will be loath to follow.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told world leaders that they risk seeing protectionism dominate the world's trade agendas if a liberalising trade agreement can not be worked out in next week's G8 summit in Japan.

Brown said time was running out for the world to secure a deal liberalising the world's trade however the Guardian reports his officials are confident that a deal can be struck despite a recent row between the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson.

Brown's aides are increasingly optimistic that a deal to liberalise global markets in industry, agriculture and services can be struck despite the recent row between the French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, and the EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, over the union's willingness to make concessions in a final round of talks expected this month in Geneva.

A British official said: "What is needed is politicians to give a lead to the negotiators because sometimes negotiators just like negotiating."

Officials have been over-optimistic in the past, but they believe if no progress is made when the major players meet then a trade deal is off the cards for up to a year as a new US president studies the issues. [source]