Green Party welcomes agreement on EU climate change plan

The Green Party welcomed last night's agreement by EU leaders on a timetable for finalising the Union's climate change package.

"Europe has shown that it is willing and able to meet the climate change challenge and I am glad that Ireland will be playing a full role in the process," said Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley today.

"I am looking forward to working closely with my colleagues in the Irish Government and my counterparts in governments across Europe to prepare our economies and societies for the post-carbon era.

"The European Union's climate change package is ambitious, but it is vital, and I am encouraged that Europe is providing global leadership on the biggest challenge facing humanity.

As part of the EU delegation Ireland can look forward to making a very positive contributing to the international effort on climate change and the current round of negotiations.

"These talks started in Bali last year, will resume in Poznan in Poland in December, and conclude in Copenhagen next year with what, I hope, will be a new, far-reaching global agreement on climate change action.

"Of course, the EU's 20% reduction target, while a major step forward, is only an interim target in advance of international agreement. We now need to develop our plans for meeting a target of at least 30%, which the world hopes will come out of the Copenhagen meeting."

Green Party Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan added: "The energy sector will have a central role in achieving our climate change commitments. Europe's over-reliance on oil and gas, and the volatile prices of both these fuels, are pushing up energy prices and threatening our economic competitiveness."