Missing Conservatives let Government off hook on Climate Change

9.50.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 1st Apr 2008

The Conservatives are facing criticism over their climate change record after fewer than one in three Conservative Peers turned out to vote on the Climate Change Bill on average.

The Conservatives let the Government off the hook on key issues through failing to support Liberal Democrat amendments in the Lords to:

· increase the final 2050 target for a reduction in carbon emissions from 60% to 80%;

· properly count emissions caused by international aviation and shipping towards the UK carbon account;

· and for the Bill to have a greater regard for the impact of climate change on biodiversity.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Lord Teverson said "For all David Cameron's green talk, when it came to walking the green walk his Peers failed to deliver. Instead of giving the Climate Change Bill real teeth, increasing the 2050 emissions target to 80% cuts and including international aviation in Britain's carbon emissions, the Tories bottled it. The Conservatives clearly can't be trusted to take the tough decisions necessary to tackle climate change."