Jill Evans MEP has claimed that events this week have highlighted the hypocrisy and posturing of the British government, as well as the Tories and Lib Dems on climate change. The Plaid MEP was speaking after UK Tory and Lib Dem MEPs joined forces to water down strong targets on CO2 emissions from cars at a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. This follows a u-turn this week by the UK government on its commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking from Strasbourg, the Plaid MEP said:

"Whilst some of us in the European Parliament were voting for strong limits on carbon dioxide emissions from cars to help fight climate change, an unholy alliance of London Labour, Tories and Lib Dems has been doing its best to abolish or weaken targets for renewable energy.

"The European target of producing 20% of electricity from renewables like solar and wind power by 2020 was signed up to by Labour earlier this year. Already, within months, they are backtracking. Worse even than that, they will be trying to persuade other European governments to follow their example and water down the targets.

"It's not as though we are doing well in Britain. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions are rising and the percentage of energy we produce from renewables is a pathetic 2%. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported this year that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased far faster than anyone expected and that we had only eight years left to lower emissions and prevent the worst effects of global warming. This means that we should be looking at increasing cuts in emissions not the opposite."

MEPs meeting in Strasbourg voted in favour of a 125g/km limit to be in place by 2015 following amendments by UK Tories and Lib Dems. A report published last week by Ms Evans' parliamentary group shows that only by setting a CO2 emissions limit for cars of 120g/km can the EU realistically hope achieve its target of a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Carbon dioxide emissions need to be cut substantially in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Jill Evans added:

"About a fifth of Europe's carbon dioxide emissions come from cars so setting strict targets to reduce that is essential. Today's decision would cap emissions from cars at 125g per kilometre from January 2015, rather than the 120g/km that is possible and achievable using existing technology. We have to keep to the target of a 20% cut in emissions by 2020 and to do that we need strong and principled political leadership. That is sadly lacking in Britain, not just in the Labour government but clearly amongst the Lib Dems and Tories too."

Responsibility now shifts to the European Commission which is due to produce a comprehensive package of measures to tackle climate change including cuts in CO2 emissions. The proposals had been due in advance of a major climate change conference in Indonesia in December but have now been delayed until January.