At their annual summit last week, leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations pledged to try to keep the planet from warming by more than 2 ℃above pre-industrial temperatures - an ambitious goal that has also been adopted by other countries including China, Brazil and South Africa (see page 313).rnThe absence of any commitment to reduce emissions before 2050 is less promising but - assuming that the G8 can be taken at its word - it shouldn't be a fatal defect. If warming is to stay within those two degrees, the global 'decarbonization' project must be tackled without delay anyway.
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