GREEN campaigners called on the Welsh government to act urgently yesterday after an expert report said it was failing to meet its climate targets.

The climate change committee is an independent body and published its latest assessment of climate progress in Wales.

The expert report said the Welsh government was failing to meet its targets to reduce greenhouse gases for the second half of this decade.

It acknowledged some positive steps had been made in Wales with a “welcome focus from ministers on skills, jobs and public engagement for the net-zero transition.”

But the report noted that there were too many areas where the Welsh government has policy responsibility, but progress was too slow.

“The Welsh government has made insufficient progress on emissions reduction with the policy powers available,” it said.

“Action should now be focused on those sectors where Welsh ministers have the greatest capacity to effect change.”

Welsh Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter welcomed the positive action taken in Wales but was worried about the lack of progress towards emission targets.

He said: “The time scale for limiting the worst effects of climate change is getting shorter by the day and the Welsh government must act at the scale and pace required to meet its 2050 target.

“To do any less is a betrayal of the planet and future generations.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We welcome the report and will now carefully consider its conclusions before publishing our response.

“The climate change committee has highlighted the further steps we are taking, such as the recent roads review, but also where we can do more.”