Environmentalists attack Govt attitude to Kyoto Protocol
Environmental campaigners have attacked the Government's attitude towards the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which comes into effect today.
As part of the treaty, 35 industrialised countries have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels by the year 2012.
However, Irish industries have already secured greater leeway under a special EU deal and Friends of the Earth has claimed that the Government will also try to buy "pollution credits" from other countries at the expense of the Irish taxpayer.
Under Kyoto, a country that reduces its emissions to below the treaty's targets can sell credits to other countries that are not meeting the targets.
Friends of the Earth spokesman Oisin Coughlan said: "The Government planned to introduce a carbon tax to tax the polluters who are causing the emissions rises and they ditched that plan last autumn.
"Instead, they're going to buy credits from other countries that aren't using all their pollution licences and that means that all the taxpayers are going to have to pay for the pollution being caused by companies that are too reliant on carbon fuels."
Environment Minister Dick Roche has rejected the criticism, however, and has insisted that Ireland is making progress in reducing harmful emissions.
"There are good and positive indications that we're moving in the right direction in Ireland," he said.
"For example, the EPA shows that emissions in 2003 are approximately 25% above the 1990 level. That's down from 29% in 2002 and 31% in 2001.
"But we still have a long way to go. We have very ambitious targets to meet and it's imperative that Ireland and that every other country in the world reaches their targets."
The employers' body IBEC, meanwhile, has warned that the Kyoto Protocol will not be effective unless the world's largest polluters become involved.
Spokesman Donal Buckley said: "If Kyoto is going to address climate change, then clearly it has to expand from what it is at present and include a number of countries, particularly the United States, Australia, China, India, Brazil.
"Unless those countries can be brought into it, then I think the issues of equity and competitiveness are always going to hamper the solution that Kyoto promises to be."
