The G8 & the Gleneagles Dialogue
G8
The Presidency of the G8 rotates between the G8 partner countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United States of America, and United Kingdom) with each country assuming the chair for a period of 12 months.
The UK held the Presidency of the G8 from January - December 2005 (Gleneagles) and chose to focus on climate change and Africa as its two main themes. The Presidency was then held by Russia (Saint Petersburg), Germany (Heiligendamm), and is currently held by Japan (Toyako). It will pass to Italy in 2009.
On 8th June 2008, John Hutton attended the G8 Energy Ministers meetings at Aomori in Japan. It was the first ever meeting of G8 Energy Ministers with their Chinese, Indian and South Korean counterparts. The Ministers around the table accounted for two thirds of global oil consumption and a similar share of CO2 emissions - a powerful grouping. Discussion covered a wide range of issues relating to world energy security and combating global climate change.
A copy of the statements issued at the end of the meeting are available on the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit: Documents webpage. The highlights were:
- Calling for enhanced dialogue between oil producers and consumers.
- Stressing that open, transparent markets and fair, effective and efficient regulation are critical to reducing uncertainties and promoting investment. G8 countries to maximise their own domestic production.
- Calling on other oil producers to increase investment to keep markets well supplied in response to rising prices.
- Establishment of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Co-operation (IPEEC) - a groundbreaking co-operation between the G8, China, India and South Korea (membership is also open to other countries).
- Agreeing to accelerate efficient and lower carbon technology R,D&D (without which oil demand could be 70% higher in 2050).
- G8 commitment to implementation of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 25 recommendations for promoting energy efficiency (which could reduce oil demand by 15% by 2030 and annually save CO2 emissions equivalent to those of US and Japan).
- G8 commitment to support the launch of 20 large scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects by 2010 with a view to supporting technology development and cost reduction for the beginning of the broad deployment of CCS by 2020.
Gleneagles Dialogue
In July 2005 the G8 Summit at Gleneagles agreed a comprehensive Plan of Action covering energy technologies, energy efficiency, and R&D networks among many other initiatives. Known as The Gleneagles Plan of Action, it is a package of measures to combat climate change, building on existing work in order to increase the speed with which we reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions.
The G8 countries along with Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa also agreed the Gleneagles Dialogue on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development. This provided a forum for continuing discussions among these countries and others with significant energy needs. Each subsequent G8 presidency has hosted a Gleneagles dialogue ministerial meeting; most recently Japan in March 2008.
The Gleneagles Dialogue also monitors the implementation of the Plan of Action, to ensure the commitments made by the G8 heads at Gleneagles are delivered. To assist with the implementation of the Plan of Action, the G8 asked the International Energy Agency (IEA) to develop and advise on alternative energy scenarios and strategies aimed at a clean, clever and competitive energy future. For further information, see the International Energy Agency (IEA): G8 Gleneagles Programme webpage.
In June 2006 the IEA published the Energy Technology Perspectives 2006: Scenarios & Strategies to 2050 book as part of their programme of work under the Gleneagles Plan of Action. An updated version, Energy Technology Perspectives 2008, was launched in Japan alongside the G8 Energy ministers meeting when the IEA reported back to the G8 on the work of the Gleneagles dialogue.