G8 Leaders Agree To Climate Deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the G8 would negotiate within a UN framework to seek a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009.

No mandatory target was set for the cuts, but Mrs Merkel's preference for a 50% emissions cut by the year 2050 was included in the agreed statement.

UPDATE: Bush agrees to CO2 cut, with strings attached

· US will consider deal to cut emissions by 50%
· China and India must be included, says president

George Bush last night pledged the United States to a "substantial" cut in greenhouse gas as the west's leading industrial nations agreed to negotiate a new climate change deal within the next two years.

After strong lobbying from EU leaders, Mr Bush agreed to "seriously consider" a proposal that would result in a 50% cut in carbon emissions by 2050 but made it clear that US involvement depended on India and China being included in any agreement.

Long forgotten is the fact that William Jefferson Clinton never submitted the Kyoto Accord to the Senate for ratification. Never, the Goracle notwithstanding.