In close accordance with its topic, the fourth ministerial meeting of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development which is being held in Chiba City, east of Tokyo, set "zero greenhouse gas emissions" for itself.

Attendees rode fuel-cell vehicles from the point they arrived at Narita International Airport; the convention center and hotels use eco-generation system to provide hot air and water and save water resource with purifying systems; recycled products are used throughout the meeting, organizers said.

Furthermore, participating officials were recommended to wear warm clothes for the sake of lowering heating system temperatures at the meeting hall and hotel rooms.

"We attempts to minimize the environmental impact of the meeting," an official with the organizing committee told reporters. He said the Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Environment Ministry were in charge of drawing all the details of the eco-friendly plan.

Unavoidable emissions will be compensated through carbon offsetting, including through implementation of emission reduction projects, the organizer said.

If nothing were done for the environment, the 2-day meeting through Sunday would have emitted 430 tons of carbon dioxide, it was estimated.

The meeting, which is a forum to talk about a post-Kyoto framework aimed at better tackling with global climate change, is the first in a series of miniterial meetings in the run-up to the Group of Eight summit slated for July in northern Japan's Hokkaido.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2008)