Developed countries to halve greenhouse emissions by 2050

TOYAKO (Hokkaido), July 7 (RIA Novosti) - The leaders of the Group of Eight major industrialized nations have agreed on a long-term target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 50%-90% by 2050, a Russian delegation representative said Monday.

Alexander Bedritsky, the head of the Russian hydrometeorological service, said the consent of developed countries would be reflected in the final document of the G8 summit on Japan's island of Hokkaido.

"The document is almost coordinated; the G8 countries will agree to reach the goal set in it," he told journalists. "The countries realize that they are in different situations," he said, adding that it would be discussed how to distribute commitments with different possibilities.

The majority of climate change experts, environmental groups and organizations say that global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity, which is causing significant damage to the Earth. Others argue that the possible impact has not yet been proven.

Bedritsky said Russia was ready to reduce energy output by 40% by 2020.