Ireland has been accused of being in denial of the country's obligation to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Activist Oisín Coghlan said, "Ten years ago Ministers in this Government signed up to our Kyoto target; then completely failed to stick to it. So this time around the plan seems to be 'commit to as little as possible'.  Either the Government is in denial about the threat climate change poses or indifferent to the fate of those who will be worst affected."

Coghlan said Ireland was also opposing a move by the European Parliament to allocate half of the revenues from selling emissions permits to industry to be earmarked for helping developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce their own emissions.

"A year ago the Government promised a further Oireachtas debate on a Climate Change Bill that would put our emissions targets into law.  Now it's refusing to schedule that debate. So much for our reputation as a champion of the developing world. The poorest people on the planet are being hit first and worst by climate change. Yet Ireland is refusing to do its fair share to stop it running out of control, and refusing to support efforts to help developing countries cope with the consequences," said Coghlan.

A spokesman for the Minister for the Environment John Gormley however, has rejected the charge and said Ireland "is fully committed to the 30 per cent target and the European level of ambition.  But like every EU member state, our perspective is that this has to be based on a full analysis of how each country can best achieve the higher target."

On the issue of ring-fencing revenue from auctioning emission permits to help developing countries combat climate change, he said this was a matter for each member state to decide. The Minister was also prepared to advance a Climate Change Bill once all-party agreement was reached on targets and how to achieve them.

Pat Finnegan of the Grian environmental group said the EU en bloc was failing to respond to the opportunity provided by the change in the US administration.

This would provide "a historic opportunity for a new, organised and comprehensive UN response to climate change.  What is needed is a concerted effort aimed at closely coupling the current capital crisis to the overwhelming and urgent need to rapidly de-carbonise the global energy system," said Finnegan.

A recent report by the European Environment Agency divulged that only 11 member states predict they will comply with the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive for four main air pollutants, especially nitrogen oxides, as demand for road transport has skyrocketed.  THE END.