This week's G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit has generated buzz about nations pledging to take strong actions to address climate change. Leaders from across the globe agreed to implement plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change in a number of ways. Amongst the stated plans are actions that could be measured numerically, allowing for a clear demonstration of whether or not a nation is achieving its G8 goals.

The first and most important example is to halve emissions by 2050. For this to meet success, it would be helpful if nations mapped out a timetable for reducing emissions levels in the interim, showing slowed growth and a peak until the 2050 goal is met. At present, the declaration states, "Making progress towards the shared vision, and a long-term global goal will require mid-term goals and national plans to achieve them." This statement falls short of actually providing enumerated goals that, if followed in upcoming years, would demonstrate that they are following through on their pledges.

Regarding energy efficiency, there is another opportunity to measure success. "In national goals and objectives, as well as in country specific action plans, we will maximize implementation of the IEA's 25 recommendations on energy efficiency." Again, an improvement could be to define how many of these recommendations will be met, and by what date.

A third example is, "Efforts in the WTO negotiations to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and services should be enhanced with a view to disseminating clean technology and skills." Excellent. Pledge to eliminate a percentage of restrictive tariffs (such as the U.S. tariff against the more energy efficient Brazilian ethanol) and other barriers and give a date by which this will be done.

Finally, "Recognizing the urgent need to curb illegal logging and its associated trade, we welcome the G8 Forest Experts' Report on Illegal Logging." Once the report is discussed, or while the report is being produced, nations could pledge a target increase in resources to curb illegal logging, such as funding to the appropriate monitoring and enforcement agencies.

Recent articles from Yahoo and Reuters have reported strong statements of doubt from leaders of countries outside the G8. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, said, "This must change and you (the G8) must all show the leadership that you have always promised by taking and then delivering truly significant GHG (greenhouse gas) reductions." He said that developed countries have yet to produce evidence that they have honored past emissions reduction agreements, even as they called for less-aggressive reduction. South Africa's environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said of the declaration, "As it is expressed in the G8 statement, the long-term goal is an empty slogan without substance."

What can the global leaders say in response to these legitimate concerns? Is there an agency that will hold nations and their leaders legally accountable for failing to significantly reduce greenhouse gases, enforcing penalties if need be? It appears that there are myriad groups to document progress, churn out independent climate change reports, and publish criticism of shortcomings, but who would be the enforcer?

Based on my experience as a student and concerned citizen studying climate change, I believe that a commitment to halve global emissions by 2050 is both aggressive and appropriate. Previous commitments by the G8 at Gleneagles in 2005 stated, "We know that, globally, emissions must slow, peak and then decline, moving us towards a low-carbon economy. This will require leadership from the developed world." This new declaration is shockingly aggressive, by comparison, and alludes to global acknowledgement that extreme change is needed in a relatively short amount of time to successfully fight climate change.

I ask, if these actions are so consequential, then why is no one enforcing their implementation?