Labour 'failing on green targets'

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A study by centre-right think-tank Policy Exchange said 60% of green aims laid out by Labour have been missed, are unlikely to be achieved or are so vaguely worded as to make analysis of whether they've been met impossible.

Targets set by the Government since it came to power on issues ranging from biodiversity to climate change have been or will be missed, the research claimed.

The think-tank examined 132 White Papers, speeches and publications and found 138 high-level targets on the environment, set by central Government and to be delivered by Westminster.

Of those, Policy Exchange said 38% had failed or were unlikely to be met, 22% could not be examined and 40% had been or were likely to be met.

The areas where most success had been seen was in waste targets - such as recycling 35% of household waste by 2010 and 20% of aggregates by 2006/07 - where 67% of aims have been or were likely to be met.

But 25 out of 66 objectives on climate change and energy, for example providing 5% of electricity from renewables by 2003, had failed, or were unlikely to be met.

And on biodiversity, the research said the Government had set more than 436 "sub-targets", of which 88% had been missed.

The Policy Exchange accused Labour of setting targets without finances or incentives to ensure they are met, and of using targets in lieu of taking action.

In other cases targets were so long-term or vague as to be meaningless, or failed because there was no one Government department with clear responsibility for implementation.