It seems that most G8 leaders, like most of America, are waiting out Bush's presidency and hoping the next administration will be more conducive to emissions regulation. Regardless of the lameness of Bush's duck, the EU member countries are expecting some progress to come out of the next few days. The EU is hoping to pressure the US to agree to not only a 50 percent reduction goal by 2050, but a smaller one by 2020 as well. Evidently they feel confidant about the 2050 goal because the US has signed on to utilizing "market mechanisms" (i.e. cap-and-trade), and we know how the market can be used to solve any problem.

But a top White House aid warned that many of Bush's key sticking points -- like all nations, including India, China, and other developing countries, be required to reduce their emissions as part of an international agreement --are likely to be continued by the subsequent administration, Democratic or Republican.

It's a Catch-22 because China and India won't agree to any reductions unless the US does, but the US won't agree to any reductions until China and India do. Someone needs to give in this game of chicken. Although the G8 produce 40 percent of the world's emissions, with the US making up about half that number, that still leaves more than half produced by developing nations, and the biggest emitter of that, or any group, is China. So, as much as we hate to admit that we agree with a Bush policy, even if the US was to suddenly get on board, there will be no real benefit to the environment if everyone isn't working together under mandatory reductions.