BRITAIN/INTERNATIONAL: Government admits failure 'likely' over greenhouse gases.

Byline: By JON SMITH

TONY Blair last night sought to regain the initiative on climate change after the Government was forced to admit it was unlikely to meet its target for cutting damaging greenhouse gas emissions.

In a speech to a climate change conference in New Zealand, the Prime Minister called for a "technological revolution comparable to the internet" to develop the cleaner technologies that would reduce emissions without damaging economic growth.

He vowed to use 2006 to push for a new international framework to supersede the Kyoto Protocol when it expires at the end of 2012.

But the Government's efforts were greeted with scorn by environmentalists and opposition parties after Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett admitted it was unlikely to meet its self-imposed target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, entered the controversy by warning that climate change was a "huge moral problem" which would result in billions of deaths around the world if not tackled.

"If you look at the language of the Bible on this, you very often come across situations where people are judged for not responding to warnings," he said.

"There are choices we can make, each one of us, to change things now, and I think what the Bible and the Christian tradition suggests is that those who have a challenge before them and don't respond bear a very heavy responsibility before God."

Mrs Beckett insisted the Government had not given up on its 20% target, but acknowledged further measures would be needed.

She said that the measures in the latest Climate Change Review programme published today would result in a 15%-18% reduction in CO2 emissions by the end of the decade.

"This programme contains a package of far-reaching measures that will affect all the major sectors and sources of UK emissions," she said. "But it is not the last word. There is more that Government can and will do to meet the target."

In New Zealand, where Mr Blair is continuing a seven-day diplomatic tour, the Prime Minister's spokesman said that he would be mounting a push for a new comprehensive international agreement.

He wanted to use this summer's G8 summit in St Petersburg and the follow-up to last year's Gleneagles summit in Mexico in September to try to make progress on the issue.

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper accused the Government of failing to take the "tough action" needed. "Once again the Government has caved in to short-term political pressures and produced a totally inadequate response," he said.

"This pathetic strategy will not deliver the Government's promise to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010, and will further undermine the Prime Minister's reputation on this issue."

Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said the review was "a grim admission of failure" on what was meant to be one of Mr Blair's top priorities.

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