Leaders of the world’s foremost industrial nations agreed last week to take action to prevent temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average levels of the era before widespread industrial emissions.

The agreement, which came in the opening stages of the Group of Eight summit in , , was the first of its kind and a major step forward for the battle against global warming. An expanded summit session involving nations with growing economies later in the week yielded a similar pact.

President Obama hailed the G-8 agreement as a “historic consensus.” Of particular interest was the involvement of developing countries like and, long seen by some as obstacles to curbing global emissions.

"It reflects a real sense of urgency by all of us," said Undersecretary of State William Burns. "It is an unanimous expression of all eight leaders' serious concern about the situation."