The world’s top industrial nations have failed to agree on a proposal to sharply cut the production of greenhouses gases. Instead, G8 leaders meeting in Italy pledged Wednesday to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average levels of more than a century ago. The pledge was made with no enforcement mechanisms to ensure it’s met. It came after India and China, who aren’t G8 members, refused to endorse a proposal to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Developing nations have argued they shouldn’t have to make the same cuts as richer nations, because they require more energy to improve their economies and combat poverty. Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists criticized the outcome.

Alden Meyer: “Overall, this was a tremendous missed opportunity by the G8 to start to build trust and momentum towards a strong, ambitious deal in Copenhagen. But we’re calling on the leaders to keep working on this. Obviously, there will be additional meetings between now and Copenhagen, bilateral meetings, key meetings in September in the United States at the United Nations and the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. They still have time to pick up the ball and move it forward, but time is running out.”