New terms

In today's column, Polly Toynbee writes:

He [Blair] has upped Britain's pledge in a tougher carbon trading regime for the second EU round. But since 1997 UK emissions are up 3%.

If you look at National Statistics' Environmental Accounts Spring 2006 (pdf link here), and in particular table 2.3, you'll see that in 1997, the UK's total emissions of greenhouse gasses were 754,793 thousand tonnes, and in 2004 731,915 thousand tonnes. 

A, ahem, fall of 3%.

-o0o-

She also writes that:

We have the dirtiest cars and the most expensive public transport.

Compare that to this quote, from a Friends of the Earth press release (source):

According to the RL Polk data, the UK has the fourth highest average emissions from new cars in the 15 member states covered by the agreement. The highest average emissions are in Sweden (193.7 g/km CO2) and the lowest in Portugal (145.1 g/km CO2). UK emissions are slightly lower than those in Germany (170.8 g/km CO2) and substantially higher than those in France (151.9 g/km CO2).
[emphasis added]