You’ll recall Merkel threw down the gauntlet just before the G8 leaders met demanding nothing less than agreements to limit the rise in world temperature to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels; cutting CO2 emissions 50 percent by 2050; and initiating a greenhouse gas trading system.

We of course heralded Merkel for her strong stance, but were none-too-surprised when, thanks to our president, the meeting resulted in only an agreement to “seriously consider” the 50 percent by 2050 goal.

Well, the gang is meeting again, this time in Hokkaido, Toyako, from Monday to Wednesday. As G8 president and host, Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is tasked with setting the summit’s agenda. Front and center are climate change and the rising price of oil.

Fukuda proposes a climate change goal awfully similar to last year:

“We must halve global CO2 emissions by the year 2050…I aim to have this goal shared by the G8 and other major economies…It is impossible to meet this goal unless all countries tackle the issue of global warming one way or another, not just the main carbon emitters. It is also obvious that in this process developed countries should contribute more than developing countries.”

Let’s hope this meeting produces more than a déjà vu, and instead results in binding commitments. There’s speculation by the media and pundits over whether Bush just might make a ground-breaking move toward dealing with climate change, given it’s among his last appearances as president on the international stage and his abysmally low ratings.

It would certainly save some precious time if he pushed beyond “seriously considering” international climate change goals. And if not, well, the guards will be changing soon.