last updated 24th November 05
By 4ecotips

Discussions at Montreal climate change conference

The UK is not on track to reach its 2010 target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, the Government's chief scientific advisor has admitted. Sir David King, said the target was perhaps a "bit optimistic", and added that the "green light" should be given for more nuclear reactors.

However, he said the government had not given up and long-term plans to meet the target were in place. "The longer term targets are actually the critical ones. These things like building a new power station take many, many years to come through," he told BBC's Sunday AM programme.

"I think perhaps we were being a bit optimistic, but the government has not given up on its target for 2010." He said that the date for reducing emissions was a "very tough target to hit at the moment."

Sir David emphasised the importance of nuclear reactors, and warned that if reactors were not replaced, nuclear power would supply just 4% of Britain's electricity needs. In recent years, nuclear power has met almost a quarter of the UK's energy requirements.

However, UK environment minister, Margaret Beckett, said there was "nothing extra" nuclear power could do to help meet the 2010 target. "There's just no way you could get new nuclear power stations in time to contribute to that," she said.

World leaders will discuss the issue at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Montreal, Canada, on November 28th.