By DPA
Heiligendamm : Chinese President Hu Jintao told world leaders gathered in Heiligendamm for the Group of Eight (G8) summit that responsibility for tackling climate change lay with industrialised nations.
"Developing countries still have a long way to go before achieving industrialization, urbanization and modernization, and they face an arduous task of improving people's life", Hu said. "To meet their development goals, developing countries need to consume more energy," Hu added, his views reflecting the stance of other key emerging economies such as India.
The G8 leaders had invited the representatives of world's major emerging economies to a meeting on Friday, just one day after they agreed greater action was needed to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
Besides powerhouse economies of India and China, the leaders of South Africa, Brazil and Mexico also attended the gathering in Heiligendamm on Friday, the last day of the three-day summit.
Hu also appealed to the industrialized world to help developing nations join the fight against global warming. "The international community should strengthen cooperation and help more countries embark on a road to clean development that protects the environment and eco-system and ensures meeting their development goals", the Chinese leader said.
Hu said that Beijing believed in both the developed world and developing or emerging economies playing different roles in tackling climate change.
"We should adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities established in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This principle which recognizes differences among countries in the level of economic development, historical responsibility and current per capita emission forms the basis for maintaining and promoting future international cooperation," he said.
The G8 member states include Germany, Britain, Italy, Russia, Canada, France, the US and Japan.