G-8 Leaders Agree on Climate Target. By Charles Babington and Nicole Winfield, AP, July 8, 2009. "President Barack Obama joined other world leaders on Wednesday in backing new targets for battling global warming, a move the Bush White House had resisted. White House officials confirmed that Obama agreed to language supporting a goal of keeping the world's average temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The agreement by the Group of Eight industrialized nations, meeting in Italy, marks a significant step in efforts to limit greenhouse gases blamed for the world's rising temperature. The G-8 previously had not been able to agree on that temperature limit as a political goal. It remains only a target, however, and it is far from clear that it will be met, especially as China, India and other rapidly industrializing nations generate and consume more energy from coal and other sources."