An independent report sponsored by BT has praised Scotland's ambition for delivering sustainable development - but called for a more "joined up" approach between the UK's regions and countries.

The report, which examined the sustainable development and other relevant strategies of every English region, Scotland and Wales, recommends better sharing of best practice and more integration across regional boundaries.

Despite the growing importance of sustainable development in national and regional politics, there is "little consistency in the way it is addressed".

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The Making Sustainability Real: A Challenge for Regions report, by the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED), states: "There is a real need to improve the way in which the experience gained from initiatives is shared and used to stimulate further good practice."

The report says Scotland is currently developing policies which will place the country well ahead of most others in terms of aspirations and targets, citing the proposed 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050 in the draft Climate Change Bill as one world-leading example.

But it highlights a concern that around the UK, information and communications technology (ICT) is "being surprisingly overlooked as a key enabler for sustainable development and should be re-assigned a higher priority" and be better integrated with policies in areas such as transport and energy.

(GK/JM)