President Barack Obama proclaimed a new day for U.S. policy on climate change early Thursday, declaring, "In the past, the United States has sometimes fallen short of meeting our responsibilities. So let me be clear: Those days are over."

But by day's end, world leaders wrapped up climate talks at a familiar impasse.

Leaders of the Group of Eight nations declined prompt action to curb greenhouse gas emissions in favor of the high-sounding goal of reducing their own emissions by 80 percent and worldwide emissions by 50 percent by 2050 -- without pledging to take any specific steps to get there. China, India and other major developing countries, who had wanted action in the next decade, reacted by rejecting the G-8 package.

And a side meeting that Obama convened Thursday to bring together the developing and developed nations most responsible for greenhouse emissions ended with only general pronouncements.

The discussions yielded a consensus declaration that the world should try to limit warming to 3.6 degrees, a level scientists say would minimize the dangers of the most catastrophic warming effects.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday there was still time to close the gap on climate change issues between major industrialized and developing nations, the White House said.

Obama told Lula such progress could be made before the U.N. talks on a new climate change treaty to be held in Copenhagen in December, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters at the G8 summit following talks between the two presidents.

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