Global warming threat 'being downgraded' for G8

THE threat from climate change is being downgraded by officials ahead of the Gleneagles summit, undermining Tony Blair's pledge to put global warming at the heart of his G8 presidency.

A final draft of the communiqu from British officials to be presented at the G8 summit waters down the risks posed by climate change. It was obtained by The Scotsman while Elliot Morley, the environment minister, announced that a long-awaited climate-change strategy would be delayed by six months. He insisted that climate change was still a "top priority" for the government, and it remained committed to reducing emissions.

The G8 document, Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development, was produced on 14 June and backtracks from earlier proposals to fund research into "clean" fuels.

Friends of the Earth Scotland said the leaked document showed that negotiations on climate change were "going backwards".

The environment campaigners pointed to its downgrading to a "serious", rather than an "urgent", challenge.