TOYAKO, Japan: Prospects of the G8 reaching a meaningful agreement on how best to fight global warming dimmed as leaders, with a long list of global problems, began gathering in northern Japan for their annual summit.

Climate change is high on the agenda of the July 7-9 summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations at a luxury hotel in Toyako, Hokkaido, and of a major economies meeting on Wednesday that will bring the group together with eight developing countries, including China, India and Brazil.