The leaders of the world's advanced economies agreed Monday for the first time to binding targets to adress climate change. According to dpa, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) pledged to phase-out fossil fuel use over the course of the century and to set a 2 degree celsius global warming target. "We see the need for the decarbonization of the world economy," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, adding that G7 nations are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 40 and 70 per cent by 2050, as recommended by United Nations experts. Agreeing to binding targets has eluded the international community for decades, despite a scientific consensus and growing support from voters for action from the world leaders. "There was no one country that presented a problem," Merkel said, following the two-day summit in southern Germany of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
