G7 building consensus for faster end to carbon emissions

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations have wrapped up meetings on energy and environmental issues, amid calls from China and other developing countries for more help in phasing out fossil fuels. The G-7 energy and environment ministers gathered in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo were expected to issue a communique Sunday encompassing climate and other environmental concerns as well as energy security. The talks are in advance of a G-7 summit in May. Japan has focused its own national strategy on so-called clean coal, hydrogen and nuclear energy. U.S. officials voiced support for that approach, while others want a faster timetable for a transition to heavier reliance on clean, renewable energy.