The National Assembly for Wales said on Friday 25 May that the Welsh government is set to miss its own climate targets “by some margin”. In its 2010 Climate Change Strategy, the government set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Wales by 3% year-on-year, with at least a 40% reduction by 2020. In its first annual climate report, the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee was given three reasons for the failure: the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the economic make-up of Wales and weather patterns. However, the committee concluded that these variables should have been considered when the target was set. The Welsh government is now being advised on its new approach by the UK Committee on Climate Change, which recommends that it set new, lower targets in the short term.
