Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday urged
leading industrial nations to play a pioneering role on climate
matters in order to prod emerging economies like China and India into
action.
'There is no chance of winning over developing countries unless
the industrial states set an example,' she said in reference to the
climate discussion expected to dominate the Group of Eight summit in
Germany next month.
The chancellor, who met earlier with representatives of the
business-sponsored climate groups 2 Degrees and 3C, said she would
not criticize China or India, who are among the world's biggest
polluters.
Merkel said China had already made advances in environmental
awareness, but it was important to persuade emerging economies to
decouple greenhouse gas emissions from economic growth.
Germany did this in the 1970s, said the chancellor, who praised
the efforts of 2 Degrees and 3C to allay fears that climate
protection and economic growth were incompatible.
Leaders of the world's major industrial nations will be meeting
for the G8 summit in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm from June
6-8.
Germany, current president of the G8, has invited China, India,
Brazil, Mexico and South Africa to join the host nation and Japan,
the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy and Russia at the
summit.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
Your Talkback on this Story