Merkel Wants G7 to Commit to Two-Degree Global Warming Goal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Group of Seven (G7) leaders to agree to limit the rise in average global temperatures to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, warning that without such a commitment a broader climate deal could fail.

Climate is one of the key topics on the agenda at a G7 meeting in a Bavarian castle starting on Sunday.  Merkel is hoping leaders will send a strong signal on cutting greenhouse gases ahead of a United Nations climate meeting in Paris in December.

The conference in Paris will only be credible if countries stick to the 2-degree goal that was agreed in Copenhagen back in 2009, Merkel said in a video podcast released on Saturday.

"Otherwise I don't think there will be a climate agreement in Paris and all of the participants know that.  That's why I hope that we, as the G7 countries, can clearly say:  we stand by this goal," she said.

But she warned not to expect a broader accord at the summit:  "I don't think we should compare the G7 summit with targeted negotiations toward a climate agreement; rather there can only be a commitment from important industrial countries here."

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