Tokyo  - Former British prime minister Tony Blair on Friday urged Group of Eight (G8) leaders to agree on the ambitious target to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 during their July summit in Japan.

Blair urged seven of the world's largest economies and Russia to also set a practical work plan to achieve the goal.

"The 2050 global target gives us a clear direction," Blair said at a Tokyo press conference as he released a report on how to come to a global agreement that would create a low-carbon society.

The report, which the former British leader plans to submit at the July 7-9 G8 summit, proposes an approach leading to a global agreement to fight climate change by December next year at a UN-sponsored meeting in Copenhagen.

Blair said that to achieve the target, emerging economies, such as China and India, must be part of the agreement.

But in inviting them into the global climate movement, Blair added that industrialized nations must provide them with aid and support to accelerate carbon dioxide reduction while helping developing nations maintain their economic growth.

"If China is not a part of the global deal, we will not get an agreement in my view," Blair said. "That is the political reality."

By some accounts, China has surpassed the United States as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change.

World leaders should set a work plan this year and establish a realistic interim target for cutting greenhouse gases next year, Blair said.

G8 host Japan has been criticized for not setting an interim target as more and more members of the international community, including the European Union, and environmental groups see a need to set midterm targets to help major polluters reach the long-range goal.

A UN-established scientific body on climate change has recommended emissions be cut 25 to 40 per cent by 2020.

Earlier Friday, Blair reportedly urged Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to set a concrete plan at the July summit in Toyako on the northern island of Hokkaido.

"I think that this year's Japan G8 [summit] should get the global 2050 target agreed and get the elements that will go into the package for next year," he said.

Blair stressed that the world needs nuclear power stations as well as carbon-capturing technology, especially to help China and India with their coal-fired power stations, to fight climate change.

Although nuclear power plants have drawn controversy, it would be difficult to achieve the emissions-reduction goal unless nuclear power is involved, he said.

"I don't see how we meet the bold ambitions we have unless we have nuclear power stations," Blair said. (dpa)