Taxpayers face €185m bill over emissions failure

THE Government’s failure to honour legally-binding commitments to cut greenhouse gases will cost the taxpayer more than €185 million, it was claimed yesterday.

As the Kyoto Protocol comes into force today, the Government has been criticised for failing to give a progress report on how its own National Climate Change Strategy, published in 2000, is being implemented.

Environmentalists and researchers yesterday said Ireland’s commitment to limit greenhouse gas emissions to 13% above 1990 levels by 2012 will not be met.