“Progress at the MEF was always about building trust between the developed and developing world, that climate action was going to a shared responsibility and proportionate.

"When the leaders of the world’s most powerful developed economies failed to adopt tough mid term emission reduction targets and to put money on the table for adaptation and mitigation in the developing world, they torpedoed any chance a good outcome at the MEF,” said Phil Radford, Greenpeace USA
Executive Director.
 
“When they try to blame China and India for the failure their excuse
will be hollow. The failure is one of leadership from the G8.”

“It is hard to believe that any of the G8 Heads of State had the audacity to look the leaders from the developing world at the MEF in the eyes and talk about joint action to protect the climate, most especially President Obama who chaired the meeting,” said Radford.

The G5 -- China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa -- yesterday called for developed countries to cut emissions by 40% by 2020. This highlights – as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed yesterday – that the major obstacle to progress is he fact that the G8 and the rest of the developed world need to adopt strong mid-term targets in order to repair the trust deficit built up by their inaction over the last decade.

Without a commitment from the G8 to invest US$106 billion (€74 billion) of the US$140 billion needed annually to enable developing countries to tackle climate change and fund forest protection, the chasm between the developed and developing world will grow.   

It is up to the G8 leaders to take the first step. They are the most responsible for climate change. They are responsible for over 47% of C02 emissions; the developing countries within MEF about 25%. It is the G8 that has shown the least willingness to commit to action.

Update from the activities around Italy

At Vado Ligure (near Genoa) the 11 climbers who had been on the two chimney stacks since the early hours of Wednesday
morning have now come down off the stack.  They were greeted by local people who hosted a party in a nearby park for them.  There has been strong opposition to the coal plant in this area.

Marghera, Venice: the climbers are off the cranes, but remain on the conveyor belts of the plant, where they have painted
G8: LEAD OR LOSE.  Activists on three inflatables  then painted the words G8: DON’T DROWN VENICE on the side of the
coal ship they had been blockading – the Bulk Brasil, which has been trying to unload coal from South Africa.

Porto Tolle: Eight climbers remain on the chimney, where they have painted C02 KILLS

Brindisi:  the occupation of the plant continues.