'Green' Britain breaks pollution rules and forgets promises

The Independent reports that Britain is dragging its feet over three separate European laws on global warming, undermining Tony Blair's claim to be leading the world on fighting climate change, a new report shows.

The document, to be published tomorrow, demonstrates that the Government has flouted an EC directive on cutting pollution from buildings, watered down another setting standards for energy use in electrical appliances, and failed to honour promises to promote clean technology.

Compiled by the Association for the Conservation of Energy for the group of Green MEPs in the European Parliament, it concludes that "it is unlikely that the UK will comply with any part" of the EC's Energy Performance of Building Directive, apart from regularly reviewing buildings standards - a failure that would make the Government liable to prosecution in the European Court. It says that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister "seems to have low awareness of climate change ... and even less understanding of the role of the built environment in delivering energy or carbon dioxide savings".

The report adds that Britain has opposed the setting of binding energy consumption standards for electrical goods such as fridges under another directive, and failed to fulfil its obligations under a third to promote small-scale combined heat and power generation, which uses energy three times as efficiently as normal ways of producing electricity. Last night Green MEP Caroline Lucas said. "Tony Blair has repeatedly told us that tackling climate change is a priority. But this report makes clear that he hasn't even fully implemented the measures already adopted."