18-tonne Kyoto emissions target 'too little'

A spend of €270m, announced in today's Budget, to purchase 18 tonnes of carbon allowances in order to meet our targets under the Kyoto Protocol by 2013 has been described as too little.

Dr Mike Hopkins of Dublin City University said a number of alternatives to more allowances were overlooked.

He stated that, for example, more money could have been invested in biofuels, bringing savings on reducing heat wastage in homes.