TARGETS MISSED

As part of the EU's Kyoto commitments European car makers voluntarily agreed to reduce new car CO2 emissions to 140 grams a kilometre by 2008. The target will be missed by a wide margin. Ever the lateral thinkers, European bureaucrats have come up with a solution:

The European Commission is today set to warn car makers that they must "substantially increase their efforts" or face being forced to do so through legislation, according to the European Federation for Transport and Environment.

When in doubt, legislate.