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Brown hails G8 emissions progress PM 'right man' to steer economy
(about 2 hours later)
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says "major progress" has been made at the G8 summit after world leaders agreed to halve carbon emissions by 2050. Gordon Brown has said he is the right person to take the British economy through "difficult times" - and that it is "more resilient than most".
Last year's G8 would only "seriously consider" a 50% cut in C02. On Tuesday it said it would "consider and adopt" the goal in an international agreement. The prime minister, who is at the G8 summit, said his experience on economic matters and negotiating deals with world leaders was very important.
Mr Brown said the deal was "beyond what people thought possible". A survey of businesses suggests the UK is facing a serious risk of recession.
But Greenpeace said tough targets were needed for the richest countries to slash emissions in the next 100 months. But Mr Brown said the economy was still growing, with "very high" employment and comparatively low interest rates.
The prime minister told the BBC: "The change at this summit is that all countries have agreed a 50% cut in emissions by 2050 - the first time we have agreed this." Earlier a British Chambers of Commerce survey of almost 5,000 businesses suggested that the UK was facing a serious risk of recession .
Battery cars The warning came as falling shares in banks, house builders and retailers dragged the FTSE 100 index towards a bear market.
The G8 has agreed a list of 25 areas where wealthier countries can help by cutting energy use, including abandoning traditional light bulbs and cutting power used by appliances on standby. 'Test of leadership'
Mr Brown said he hoped part of that change could see households across the UK switching to electric or less -polluting cars. Speaking to the BBC in Japan, Mr Brown said high fuel and food prices and the credit crunch were to blame for economic problems faced by countries across the world.
The G8 should have ruled out the scores of new coal-fired power stations set to be built across the industrialised world, threatening any hope we have of beating climate change John SauvenGreenpeace class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7495187.stm">Brown faces climate change revolt But he said: "The issue is, can we deal with these three fundamental problems?
"Technology is advancing quickly - hybrid and battery cars are now popular," he said. "The question is, can we create a market for them? "I believe that you do need the global action that we are talking about and I believe that the British economy, under the leadership, taking these difficult decisions about how we can get through it, is in better position than most economies."
"The benefit will be to reduce our reliance on oil." The prime minister is being credited behind the scenes with ensuring that the G8 did not backslide on its commitments to African development Nick RobinsonBBC political editor class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/">Read Nick's blog in full
But Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "The G8 leaders have failed the world again.
"We needed tough targets for the richest countries to slash emissions in the next 100 months, but instead we got ambiguous long-term targets for the world in general.
"The G8 could and should have ruled out the scores of new coal-fired power stations set to be built across the industrialised world, threatening any hope we have of beating climate change."
Africa investment
The world leaders also agreed to stick to a 2005 pledge to double aid by 2010, despite fears over the credit crunch.
Mr Brown said he was pleased aid promises for Africa, which were made at the Gleneagles summit in 2005, would be retained.
The prime minister is being credited behind the scenes with ensuring that the G8 did not backslide on its commitments to African development Nick RobinsonBBC political editor Read Nick's blog in full The summit also announced a multi-billion pound investment in malaria nets, fighting infectious diseases and education in developing countries.
"We are delivering everything we promised, other countries will do the same," said Mr Brown.
"Ten million children will go to school. Malaria nets will save thousands and more healthcare. These are big concrete changes."
He said it was essential that summits, like the G8, helped create global solutions to the world's dependence on oil and increase food production.He said it was essential that summits, like the G8, helped create global solutions to the world's dependence on oil and increase food production.
"These are difficult times because of the three threats from oil prices, food prices and the global credit crunch affecting households across the country," he said. Asked whether he would step down as Labour leader, if he became a liability to the party, Mr Brown said: "If I thought I wasn't the right person I wouldn't have stood for leader - the test of leadership is taking people through difficult times."
But, he added: "Britain has a fundamentally strong economy." He added: "I think I'm the right person to take people through these difficult times."
Mr Brown's leadership could be put under pressure if Labour is defeated in the previously safe Glasgow East seat in the upcoming by-election.
The party is still reeling from its losses by-election loss of Crewe and Nantwich, coming fifth in the Henley by-election, and disappointing poll ratings.
At the summit, world leaders also agreed to stick to a 2005 pledge to double aid by 2010, despite fears over the credit crunch.
The G8 announced a multi-billion pound investment in malaria nets, fighting infectious diseases and education in developing countries.
"We are delivering everything we promised; other countries will do the same," said Mr Brown.
"Ten million children will go to school. Malaria nets will save thousands and more healthcare. These are big concrete changes."