Cop15: UK accused of hypocrisy over environment protection targets

Despite backing calls to protect 30% of world's land and sea by 2030, UK has no such target in its own plans

The UK's environment targets are a missed opportunity to protect Britain's rainforests, cold water coral reefs, chalk streams and peat bogs, environmentalists have said, amid accusations of hypocrisy over the government's position at Cop15.

On Friday, the environment secretary, Therese Coffey, announced the government's legally binding targets at the UN summit in Montreal, where the world is negotiating this decade's agreement to protect biodiversity on Earth, with talks expected to conclude on Monday.