The Russian embassy in Ottawa is suggesting next week’s G8 summit in Japan won’t likely produce hard targets for cutting the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions. Embassy official Sergey Khudyakov says Russia isn’t ruling out firm reduction goals for the years 2020 and 2050 - but he adds the summit on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido isn’t the place to set global targets. Khudyakov says the role of the Group of Eight wealthy, industrialized nations is to hatch ideas to help the world solve the problem of climate change, not dictate global policy. He says the Russian position is closely aligned with the Canadian government’s in opposing any pact that doesn’t include the world’s biggest polluters, like China and India. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iacK5U4PNapvwZYwKpcgBZXeCkXw

The world’s recession fears and thirst for energy will move Europeans and others closer to Canada’s position on climate change, Prime Minister Stephen Harper predicts. Climate change is supposed to be central to the agenda of G8 leaders when they meet in Japan next week, but divisions between Europeans and North Americans on what the next greenhouse-gas treaty should look like threatens to stymie progress. Economic concerns, especially those linked to rising fuel and food prices at a time when the global economy is slowing, may dominate G8 talks. After meeting with French Prime Minister François Fillon yesterday, Mr. Harper said he sees signs the U.S. and European positions are starting to move closer together – and that recession fears and energy-supply concerns should inject a dose of realism at the G8. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080703.wharper03/BNStory/National/home