The Celtic Tiger's "daily diet of massive amounts of high-emission fossil fuels" will make it very difficult for the Government to implement its climate-change strategy, according to Earth watch.
The environmental group said the strategy would require a widespread public education programme. It welcomed the Government's commitment to introduce taxes on greenhouse gas emissions in 2002, even though the measure would be 10 years late.
"Irish people are now amongst the highest per capita climate changers in the world," said Mr Pat Finnegan, of Earthwatch. "The problem is that the economy is just not configured for the 3.7 million of us who are involved in changing the climate to take up the easily available alternatives."
This "business as usual" scenario would have to change, he said, echoing a statement by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, that "business as usual is no longer an option for Ireland". Mr Finnegan said the solution was "an across-the-board tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels as a `stick' to alert people to the need for action, coupled with the availability of tax rebates for investment in readily available, more sustainable alternatives".
However, Mr Finnegan said the Government's strategy was "almost certainly doomed to failure as the Tiger economy's relentless charge will inevitable take out the cuts projected in the strategy through its historic reliance on conventional fossil fuels".
