The UK government acted unlawfully in approving a climate plan, a High Court judge has ruled

LONDON (AP) — A High Court judge ruled Friday that the U.K. government acted unlawfully when it approved a plan to meet climate targets without evidence that it could be delivered.

It was the second time in two years that the government’s main climate action plan was found to be unlawful and insufficient in meeting legally-binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Justice Clive Sheldon sided Friday with three environmental groups that brought the case, ruling that the government’s decision to approve its Carbon Budget Delivery Plan last year was “simply not justified by the evidence.”

The plan outlined how the U.K. aims to achieve its climate targets, including pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two-thirds of 1990 levels by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.

The judge said the details in the draft plan were “vague and unquantified,” and didn’t provide officials with enough information on whether the plan should be approved.