Shifting the goal posts

As has long been known, Britain is highly unlikely to meet its renewables targets of 20% set by the EU for 2020.  So how do our civil service advise ministers to sort it out?  "Wriggle out of it"!  A briefing leaked to the Guardian has said that getting to 9 per cent from the current level of 2 per cent would be challenging and that a figure of about 5 per cent was more realistic.  As a result, officials from the former DTI suggest “statistical interpretations” of the target be used so that Britain could sidestep its commitment.  "Statistical Interpretation" - that is Whitehall for lie.  At the very best it is shifting the goal posts. 

The targets are based on the EU achieving 20% of energy sources as renewable (this does not include, of course, nuclear).  So in theory, the UK does not have to hit the 20% mark as long as another member state makes up its deficit.  It appears that the government will now pin it hopes on another state doing just that.  Of course there is no chance that this will be possible - the new member states in the east will be struggling to hit anything near 20% and would have been relying on countries like the UK in the first place.  

This is a bizarre way to go about tackling climate change anyway, but why did the government commit to these targets in the first place - they have always known that they would not hit them.  It is a vastly expensive and inefficient way of developing energy in the short term.  There should be the renewable option as part of the energy mix, but what is the point of making these ridiculous commitments that we know we will never hit and at a price?