Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The 17 million tonne reduction set out in the new strategy shows that we are well on course to meeting our Kyoto Protocol targets. Ireland's emissions without the measures introduced or being put in place would be 79.8 million tonnes whereas the figure we will reach will be 63 million tonnes, slightly below the figure set in our Kyoto requirement. It is more important for public morale than politically. People are making significant changes and if we continue to talk down or misrepresent the real achievements made, we will do a disservice to the debate.

The Opposition claims that nothing has been done to date. It cannot have this both ways, saying that, on the one hand, nothing has been done to date and, on the other, talk as we have been tonight——

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