No leadership on climate change, food and fuel prices...from G8 summit

The story goes that Nero fiddled whilst Rome burned in the great fire of AD 64. Its not a story however that our leaders at the G8 summit are neglecting priorities whilst the Earth hots up due to climate change (see clip above). It was sickening to see them all planting trees in their suits at today's photo opportunity for the media.

The so-called leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States at the G8 summit aren't in fact leading at all: their proposed 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions is conditional on action from developing countries like China, India and Brazil and so nothing at all may happen in practice; the % is in any case too low compared to what the scientists at the IPCC say is needed; the cut apparently would be from emissions levels in year 2000 and not from lower 1990 levels which would be tougher (IPCC called for cuts from 1990 levels); no targets for reductions between now and 2050 were agreed and so there is nothing by which to measure if we are on track even if actual reductions were seriously attempted (little sign of this anyway).

They dont seem to have connected climate change with food and fuel prices and short/medium/long term economic stability either, saying that they remained positive about the long term resilience of their economies. They have not to date explained what is causing high food and fuel prices, have offered no plan for solving problems and achieving a stable, secure and affordable future and are highly suspect on aid/development committments, especially on Africa. The summit goes on...but what is it achieving??