Could do better – much better

The government is failing to meet its own green targets, according to the latest assessment from the Sustainable Development Commission. The SDC has issued a ‘report card’ which picks up on “patchy data and poor performance” in most areas during 2006.

Pearls among the swine? The Forestry Commission’s use of woodfuel heating and wind and solar power for remote sites, and smart videoconferencing by DfID, notably in India, to cut down on flights.

Environment secretary David Miliband agreed there was work to be done. “We have asked the prime minister’s delivery unit to recommend, by the end of April, the structures we need to put in place to ensure these targets are delivered,” he said, adding that cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell would take “personal charge” of the task. – Martin Wright


Black marks
  • Most departments way off track on carbon reduction target of 12.5% by 2010.
  • Fifteen departments have actually increased emissions since 1999.
  • Over 10% more waste generated across government compared to 2005.
  • Transport, and Culture, Media and Sport, and the Cabinet Office – bottom of the class.

Green lights
  • Recycling – up by 8%, with the Department of Health recycling 85.4% of its waste.
  • Renewable energy – up by 3% as a proportion of total electricity consumption.
  • Departments of Health, Trade and Industry, and Work and Pensions – the star performers.

Homework
To improve, the government should:
  • Introduce a carbon allocation and trading system among departments.
  • Make permanent secretaries accountable for sustainability performance.
  • Extend sustainability targets to all government operations, including outsourced operations and publicly funded bodies.

Headmaster’s comment
“Overall, the government’s performance is simply not good enough. Against a background of non-stop messages on climate change and corporate social responsibility, [it has] failed to get its own house in order. It’s absolutely inexcusable that government is lagging so far behind the private sector, when it should be leading the way.” – Jonathon Porritt, SDC chair.

1 May 2007

Jonathon Porritt and Martin Wright