The leaders of the G8 on Thursday agreed to seek "substantial" cuts in global emissions and "seriously consider" the target of cutting climate-changing gases by at least half by 2050.

"We commit to achieving these goals and invite the major emerging economies to join us in this endeavour," the most industrialised countries said in declaration issued at their summit in Heiligendamm in northeastern Germany.

After a meeting in Berlin to agree their position, the so-called Plus Five group of emerging nations said they needed help from more developed nations in combatting the pollution caused by their rapidly expanding economies.

"Regarding matters that will be discussed in Heiligendamm with the G8 countries, the leaders were pleased to note opportunities for joint collaboration in the fields of cross-border investment, research and innovation, climate change, energy and development," a statement from the leaders said.

"The consensus view was that all of these challenges must be addressed from a multi-lateral regional and bilateral perspective taking into consideration the interests and capacities of different states."

India said it would not waver in its refusal to accept mandatory restrictions on its output of greenhouse gases.

"India's position on climate change has not changed," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told AFP.

Both India and China, which have a combined population of 2.4 billion and rising pollution levels, reject restrictions on emissions because for fear that it would slow their economic growth and affect efforts to fight poverty.

An advisor to South African President Thabo Mbeki said African nations "by and large agreed" with the position that the industrialised world must take the lead in slashing emissions.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticised the G8 agreement in Heiligendamm for setting a too-distant goal on capping emissions.

"What is happening with this long deadline is that nobody will do anything until the last minute... We will arrive in 2049 without having done anything," he said.

"It is necessary to have a shorter horizon." The stance of the Plus Five nations poses another challenge for German Chancellor Angela Merkel after her tenacious battle to secure a G8 accord on climate change in the face of strong reservations from the United States.

Merkel has made clear that developing nations must shoulder more responsibility in any agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol on curbing greenhouse gases, the UN-backed framework which expires in 2012.

She has warned that any major initiative to stop the planet overheating is doomed to fail unless they sign up.

India and China are part of the Kyoto Protocol but as developing nations do not have to make emissions cuts, a condition which only applies to industrialised countries that have signed it and ratified it.

Yet their rapidly expanding economies are creating increasing amounts of greenhouse gases.

Environmental experts say China is set to overtake the United States as the world's top carbon polluter within several years.

US President George W. Bush on Thursday also insisted that China and India must be tied into any deal to cut emissions because of their strong economic growth.

The Bush administration in 2001 cited the fact that mandatory emission reduction targets were not imposed on China as one of Washington's reasons for refusing to ratify Kyoto.

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