Special Report: President Hu attends outreach session of G8 Summit, visits Sweden ¡¡

    HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 7 (Xinhua) -- International non-governmental organizations (NGO) Thursday urged the G8 countries to take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gases as leaders of the world's leading industrialized nations were due to open talks about climate change at their annual summit.

    In an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the rotating G8 presidency, the NGOs called on Merkel to hold firm on her proposals to limit the rise in global temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius this century and to cut carbon emissions by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

    "The two degree Celsius can not be negotiated," said Andy Atkins, Advocacy Director of Tear fund, adding that a failure to deliver such promises could trigger catastrophic consequences.

    Hans Verolme, director of WWF Climate Change Program, told reporters that it is important that the G8 leaders can at least agree on dealing with climate change within the framework of the United Nations.

    Verolme told Xinhua that the concept of "the common but differentiated approaches" to tackle climate change is "well established," and "there should be no arguing about that."

    The U.S. rejection of mandatory targets of cutting greenhouse gases unless developing countries such as China also sign up, is "unacceptable," he said.

    Referring to the recent Chinese plan on climate change, Verolm esaid some of the statements are "even stronger" than those made by some rich countries.

    The G8 leaders are scheduled later Thursday to talk about climate change, one of the most controversial issues dominating the three-day annual summit in the northern German Baltic resort of Heiligendamm.

    The United States, the world's biggest greenhouse gas producer, has voiced "fundamental opposition" to the German proposal. U.S. President George W. Bush has announced a separate plan, calling on15 of the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters to meet and agree on long-term goals by the end of 2008.

    The United States, which has not signed the Kyoto Protocol, remains opposed to mandatory targets, citing that environmental protection cannot come at the price of hurting economic growth.