G8 Leaders Stumble on Climate Change

World leaders gathered in L’Aquila, Italy, today for the G8 summit. Highlights from the day's meetings:

• A forum organized by President Obama for the world’s 17 biggest polluters failed to approve a proposal to cut global emissions by 50% by 2050, the New York Times reports. The group did agree to set a goal of preventing global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius.

• President Obama urged the rest of the G8 leaders to take a stronger stand against Iran and North Korea’s attempts to build a nuclear bomb, Politico reports. The global community must “encourage them to take a path that does not result in a nuclear arms race,” Obama said.
• G8 leaders agreed that the global economy still faces “significant risks,” and stimulus measures meant to soften the blow of the recession need to remain in place for the foreseeable future, Reuters reports.

(More G8 summit stories.)