On July 8th 2009 leaders of some of the world's richest and most powerful countries, the G8, met in L'Aquila, Italy to discuss some of the pressing issues facing the world today.

The G8 Summit came at a time when the world is facing 2 major human-made crises: the economic crisis, and the environmental crisis posed by climate change.

The G8 leaders had an opportunity to address these challenges through confirming their support for a strong, science-based deal at the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Copenhagen in December. This deal must not only set the world on course to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, but also provides an opportunity to stimulate economic recovery along a more economically and environmentally sustainable path.

Find out more about WWF's work on climate change at www.panda.org/climate

What is the G8?

The G8, or ‘Group of 8’, is an annual gathering of the world's richest, industrialised countries. It includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, leaders from other nations and bodies such as the European Union will also attend the meeting in L'Aquila.

In addition, these countries - together with the so-called ‘emerging economies’ (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) – met with other countries responsible for most of the carbon emissions in the world immediately after the G8 meeting as the Major Economies Forum.