The G8 leaders have pledged to halve gas emissions by 2050, in a pact which - for the first time - includes the US.
The group, consisting of leaders from Britain, the US, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Russia and Canada, has agreed on the new target at the G8 Summit in Japan.
But the move doesn’t meet the standards of environmentalists and developing countries, who are urging richer countries to work towards a goal of cutting emissions by 2010, saying it is important to have a mid-term goal.
But Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has told CBS News, getting the stamp of approval for long-term carbon cuts from two previous hold-outs — the United States and Russia — signals a major breakthrough.
"This is the first time either of those countries have conceded the necessity of having a long-term, mandatory goal for reduction," he said in an interview from northern Japan.
The three-day summit - which focuses on climate change, poverty, oil, and food prices - has provided the perfect opportunity for protestors and activists to have their say.
Yesterday members of international relief group, Oxfam, dressed in masks of the world leaders participating in the G8 summit, and launched themselves into the air using helium balloons displaying the amount of carbon each country emits per capita.
On Monday the group, pulled on their masks again and shoved an activist dressed as a corn cob into an oil barrel.
A protest on Saturday involved thousands of activists holding banners reading "G8: Don't wait till it's too late," and led to four arrests due to violent scuffles.
