U.S., other wealthy nations vow global warming cuts
CHARLES BABINGTON, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSArticle Photos
Fact Box
Protesters unfurl banner on Mt. Rushmore
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Environmentalists who used National Park Service rock anchors to scale Mount Rushmore and unfurl an anti-global warming banner along President Abraham Lincoln's face Wednesday were charged with trespassing.
The 11 activists also were charged with the misdemeanor crime of climbing on Mount Rushmore National Monument, U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley said. They pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The environmental group Greenpeace said in a statement that its members used the park service's existing rock anchors to scale the mountain and unfurl a 65-by-35-foot banner reading, ''America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming.''
Mount Rushmore Ranger Nav Singh said security warnings and tourists alerted officials when the banner was unrolled. The banner was removed about an hour after it was unfurled.
''You can't create any security system that's 100 percent fail-safe. There's just not enough resources for that,'' Singh said. ''Determined individuals that are properly equipped and willing to do damage to government property can do this sort of thing.''
Twelve people were taken away in handcuffs and foot chains. The 12th person taken into custody was released without being charged, Jackley said.
The National Park Service said in a statement that its staff and security detected the activists early and responded ''within minutes.'' Visitors were not in danger, authorities said.
Park service staff remained at the mountain Wednesday to assess damage to the sculpture and security systems.
A number of demonstrations have taken place at Mount Rushmore over the years. In the early 1070s, American Indian Movement members tried several times to occupy and deface the monument. In August 1970, AIM members hung a banner with the words ''Sioux Indian Power'' on the monument.
In October 1987, Greenpeace activists tried unsuccessfully to unfurl a banner shaped like a gas mask over George Washington's face. That banner said, ''We the People Say No to Acid Rain.''
Security measures were beefed up after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The 11 activists charged Wednesday were released on their own recognizance after the court hearing. A trespassing conviction carries up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine, prosecutors said.
L'AQUILA, Italy - Targeting global warming, President Barack Obama and other leaders of the world's richest industrial countries pledged Wednesday to seek dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to slow dangerous climate change. Setting a marker for success, they agreed for the first time that worldwide temperatures must not rise more than a few degrees.
However, their goals are nonbinding, and it's far from clear they will be met. The wealthy nations failed to persuade the leaders of big developing countries to promise to cut their own fast-spreading pollution, unable to overcome arguments that the well-established industrial giants aren't doing enough in the short term.
Obama and his counterparts from the other wealthy Group of Eight nations agreed that global temperatures should be kept from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, in the fight against weather changes caused by mankind.
The results left some Western leaders cheering. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the group's statement a "historic agreement." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was "a clear step forward."
Environmental groups said the effort fell far short in its bid to cut carbon emissions that come mainly from energy production and that trap heat in the atmosphere. Still, climate change experts said the measure on trying to limit temperature increases - with agreement by both the G-8 and a 17-member group of industrialized and developing nations meeting here this week - was an important step.
An increase up to the limit the leaders set wouldn't eliminate the risk of runaway climate change but would reduce it, experts said. Even a slight increase in average temperatures could wreak havoc on farmers around the globe, as seasons shift, crops fail and storms and droughts ravage fields.
"After a long struggle, all of the G-8 nations have finally accepted the 2-degree goal," said Merkel.
The United States and other G-8 nations set a goal of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more by 2050.
That's part of a plan to have all such gases, from rich and poor nations alike, fall by 50 percent globally by that year.
But developing countries feel the better-established nations aren't doing enough in the shorter term. They also worry that major reduction commitments on their parts, even if below the 80 percent target of rich nations, would hamper economic growth in China, India, Mexico, Brazil and many other non G-8 countries.
As for the target for limiting global temperatures, a summit statement said it reflected a "broad scientific view."
Until now, however, the U.S. had resisted embracing the target because it implied a commitment to dramatically change the way the world generates electricity, fuels its cars and builds its houses. U.S. businesses and the broader national economy could suffer badly under strict pollution limits, many argue.
Environmentalists welcomed the shift in U.S. policy but criticized the G-8's failure to agree on more immediate goals for the industrial countries. The long-term ambition "is too far off to matter - poor people are being hit today," said Antonio Hill, of the nonprofit Oxfam International.
The G-8 leaders also addressed the global recession and agreed economic conditions are still too shaky to begin rolling back massive fiscal stimulus plans.
A statement said leaders "note some signs of stabilization," but it stressed the difficult outlook instead of counter-concerns over debt and high spending.
The leaders did commit to preparing exit strategies from the "unprecedented and concerted action" that has been taken to boost growth through government spending, low interest rates and expansive monetary policy. Germany, worried about running up crippling debt, has pressed for spending restraint, but other major economies including Britain, Japan and the United States won't rule out the need to pump in more money.
The leaders gathered Wednesday in the earthquake-devastated central Italian city of L'Aquila, many arriving in electric cars and all welcomed by Italian host Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Over a long working dinner, they discussed world security issues ranging from Iran to North Korea.
They emerged with a joint statement deploring government-backed violence and media restrictions in the aftermath of Iran's disputed election last month. The condemnation and concern were a far cry from the calls by some for something tougher, such as sanctions against Tehran or other action. In the face of Russian opposition, the Iran issue didn't even rate a statement separate from the other security issues, as had been expected.
Nonetheless, the Obama team and other leaders portrayed the statement as a victory in its unanimity. "I think it's a strong statement and it reflects a real sense of urgency," said Williams Burns, Obama's undersecretary of state for political affairs.
Obama also announced at the dinner that he will host a nuclear security summit early next March in Washington. Around two dozen nations are expected to attend, to focus on nuclear terrorism, the black markets trade in nuclear materials and the detection and interception of materials in transit, said Obama adviser Mark Lippert.
The abrupt return home from Italy of Chinese President Hu Jintao after ethnic tensions soared in China's western Xingjiang territory could weaken trust-building discussions on making further progress on climate change. He did leave a national delegation behind.
China is among five developing market economies - along with Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa - that are participating in the summit for the fifth straight year, joining the talks on Thursday to discuss aid and development. Also joining are nine African nations.
The summit is also including a discussion of ways to expand the G-8 even further amid growing sentiment that the world's most-industrialized nations can no longer claim leadership on the global political and economic agenda.
The G-8 document also calls for a rapid conclusion to the stalled Doha round of trade talks, but it doesn't set a deadline. That will be up for discussion on Thursday.
The group's statement on the world economy calls for an "enhanced global framework for financial regulation" to help prevent future economic crises, but it fails to make any concrete proposals. Leaders say they will address issues such as executive pay, definition of capital, risk management and the regulation of hedge funds and credit rating agencies.
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Johnson
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07-10-09 4:43 PM
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I think you’re right. I, for one, plan to check under my bed each night before going to sleep.
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Puppetmaster
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07-10-09 12:33 AM
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"the United States and other G-8 nations set a goal of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more by 2050" They can set goals all they want, but like every thing that is politically motivated, they can change their mind at anytime and abandoned these goals as soon as it becomes politically advantageous. There is a cruel NWO coming and we will all be lucky to survive its weight as it eliminates every one that opposes its policies.
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