A strong sense of urgency regarding climate change must be communicated to the Group of Eight leaders and more than a long-term goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions is called for, representatives of nongovernmental organizations said Thursday.
"Climate change is happening now. It's not a thing that will happen only a long time into the future," said Kim Carstensen, director of the global climate initiative at World Wide Fund for Nature International. "It's here, it's around us and it influences our daily lives already today."
Outlining the so-called Fukuda Vision last week, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced Japan's long-term initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent to 80 percent by 2050. But he failed to specify any midterm goals.