ABSTRACT
The Labour Party took office in 1997 and formed the first New Labour government. It is now in its second term. One of the few quantified targets in the party’s 1997 election manifesto was related to its aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010, relative to 1990 levels. This was taken from a policy report written for the then shadow environment minister, Chris Smith, in 1994.2 The ‘–20%’ remains one of the government’s current environmental targets. Another target that soon came into the policy debate was to source 10% of electricity from renewable fuels. Environmental issues were high on the government’s agenda.
