Green Taxes needed to hit emissions target

4.17.15pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 6th Mar 2007

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An independent scientific audit of the UK's climate change policies predicts that the government will fall well below its target of a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 - which means that the country will not reach its 2020 milestone until 2050. The report says government forecasts on emissions are "very optimistic" and projects that the true reduction will be 12 - 17%, making little difference to current CO2 emission levels.

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson said "It's time that the government delivered on its targets, rather than just congratulating itself for setting them. The next budget must tackle emissions from cars and planes through a green tax switch that shifts the tax burden from people onto pollution. The government also has a gaping hole in its climate change strategy due to its failure to tackle emissions from homes and offices."