The heads of developed and developing countries, including President Bush, and international officials, met in Toyako, Japan do debate the problem of climate change, among other matters.

In the last G-8 summit of George Bush's presidency he declared "significant progress" had been made regarding combating global warming. The leaders agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent in the next 30 years. They agreed that fighting against this phenomenon must recruit poor nations, as well as wealthier ones. China and India should be engaged to the table, said the President.

The five major developing countries (China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa) who together totalize 42 percent of the global population, released a statement in which they clarified their split with the G-8 over its emissions-decrease target. They said they refused the idea according to which all should share in the 50% goal, given that, so far, developed nations are the ones that have generated most of the damage to the environment.

The countries passing through a developing process were guaranteed to be helped by the rich countries, which would take the lead in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, environmentalists stated the agreements renewed possibilities of reawakening two climate pacts that were insubstantial, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.