Republic’s greenhouse gas emissions ‘insignificant’

IRELAND’S greenhouse gas emissions are “insignificant” and government efforts to combat the problem will not matter on a global scale, a leading climate change expert has said.

Professor Richard Tol of the Economic and Social Research Institute said the only reason Ireland should tackle emissions was because of the “moral and legal obligation” to do so.

He made the remarks at a recent meeting of the joint Oireachtas committee on climate change.