As leaders from eight of the world's top industrialized countries, or G8, meet this week in Germany to speak about global development, one of the main issues on the agenda will be climate change.

Last week, U.S. President George Bush spoke about how the 15 of the most polluting countries could work together to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gases once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

The Bush administration pulled the U.S. out of that treaty in 2001, saying its emission reducing targets would be damaging to the economy.

In his comments last week, he proposed to convene those countries in a dialogue so that by the end of 2008, the U.S. and other nations -- including major developing countries such as India and China - could set a common long term reduction goal.

Under Kyoto, China and India and other developing countries are currently exempt from the emission reduction targets.

Under Bush's proposal each country participating in the talks would independently set mid-term goals.

He also said that leaders in industry and government should work together to share clean energy technologies and best practices.

The proposal made by President Bush is an attempt to get everyone around the table -- including those who were excluded the last time around -- and reach a new consensus.

As such it's an invitation for including more people in the dialog about how to meet the challenge of climate change. It's a welcome step.

Germany India China George W. Bush