19 May 2012: The G-8 Summit at Camp David recognized the need for universal access to environmentally sound, sustainable, secure and affordable sources of energy to ensure global economic growth and address climate change.

G-8 leaders meeting at Camp David, Maryland, US, developed a “Camp David Declaration,” which notes that the G-8 leaders “recognize the importance of meeting our energy needs from a wide variety of sources ranging from traditional fuels to renewables to other clean technologies.” To do so, they indicate that they “embrace the pursuit of an appropriate mix from all of the above in an environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable manner.” They indicate that their commitment “to establishing and sharing best practices on energy production, including exploration in frontier areas and the use of technologies such as deep water drilling and hydraulic fracturing, where allowed, to allow for the safe development of energy sources, taking into account environmental concerns over the life of a field.”

The leaders further “recognize that increasing energy efficiency and reliance on renewables and other clean energy technologies can contribute significantly to energy security and savings, while also addressing climate change and promoting sustainable economic growth and innovation.” They “agree to continue our efforts to address climate change and recognize the need for increased mitigation ambition in the period to 2020, with a view to doing our part to limit effectively the increase in global temperature below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, consistent with science.” And they agree “to continue to work together in the UNFCCC and other fora, including through the Major Economies Forum, toward a positive outcome at Doha.”

Finally, the leaders agree to join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants, and they indicate their strong support for efforts “to rationalize and phase-out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, and to continue voluntary reporting on progress.”

In addition to the Declaration, the leaders supported the G-20 Global Marine Protection initiative effort to create a Best Practices Mechanism (GMEP Mechanism) to develop best practices for oil and gas exploration and prevent accidents. G-8 leaders welcomed the work of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), requesting the IEA to report on future scenarios for changing global energy balances. They underscored the need for cooperation to promote the sustainable deployment of renewable energy technologies, including through the Clean Energy Ministerial and the Public-Private Leadership Forum under the 21st Century Power Partnership and Global Bioenergy Partnership. G-8 leaders further called on the IEA and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to synthesize assessments of renewable energy deployment in G-8 countries.

During the Summit, the G-8 and African leaders launched a New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to fulfill the promise made by the G-8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security.” The objective of the Alliance is to achieve sustained inclusive agriculture to raise 50 million people out of poverty over ten years. The Alliance aims to develop a new Fast Track Facility for Agriculture Infrastructure and provide US$1.2 billion over three years from new and existing sources through the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).

The 38th G-8 summit was held in Camp David, US, on 18-19 May 2012. [Camp David Declaration] [US State Department G-8 Summit webpage] [White House Press Release: Food Security] [White House Press Release: Energy and Climate Change] [UNEP Press Release]