But emerging nations are insisting that any new pact against global warming allow them the "flexibility" they need to keep their economies growing.

After weeks of wrangling in the run-up to the summit in this Baltic Sea resort, leaders of the world's wealthiest countries inked a declaration setting the goal of "substantial" cuts in global heat-trapping emissions and vowing to "seriously consider" Europe's aim of halving this pollution by 2050.

Although it was not binding, the deal did meet one goal German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit's host, had set of assuring that the United Nations would retain the upper hand to manage the negotiations.

The accord paved the way for talks beginning in Bali, Indonesia in December to find a successor to the UN-backed Kyoto Protocol on capping heat-trapping carbon emissions that expires in 2012.

"There is still a lot of work to do," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

"But one of the main outcomes of the summit is that the UN is the umbrella under which climate protection will be negotiated."

Europeans in particular had feared that US President George W. Bush's refusal to ratify Kyoto and his initiative announced last week to seek a commitment from up to 14 of the world's other top polluters to a climate change pact would undermine the UN's leadership of the process.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the G8 declaration during a stop in Heiligendamm and announced a "high-level meeting" in September in New York to gain momentum for the road to Bali.

"What we are desperately in need of this time is political will at the leaders' level to make significant emissions reductions and to help countries adapt to climate change," he said.

"On both, we'll need leadership by the G8 countries. The outcome of this summit is an important first step."

Ban spoke to leaders of five emerging nations including China and India -- two countries Bush has insisted must join any binding emissions cuts -- who were invited to take part in the summit.

The countries issued their own declaration Friday saying they would play their part to limit climate change. But they said any global accord must allow them to continue their rapid economic expansion.