Carbon-Cutting Targets Set Deliberately Low Environment: Pollution Environment: Pollution Levels That Were Easy to Meet Would Give Executive 'Good News Story'

Sunday Herald (August 12, 2007)

Author: Rob Edwards Environment Editor

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Summary

THE Scottish Executive deliberately fixed an unambitious target for cutting climate-wrecking pollution so that it would be easy to meet and the success would make a "good news story".

Internal documents obtained by the Sunday Herald reveal officials advised the previous administration to play safe by aiming low. The revelation has prompted environmentalists to attack the climate target as "an accountant's trick". Officials, however, have defended the target as "realistic and ambitious".

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Carbon-Cutting Targets Set Deliberately Low Environment: Pollution Environment: Pollution Levels That Were Easy to Meet Would Give Executive 'Good News Story'

Liberal Democrat and Labour ministers announced in March last year that Scotland would aim to cut carbon emissions by one million tonnes more than the "Sco...

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