Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

Does the Minister not think the 3% target is a con job on people? He set out in his carbon budget that the bulk of our reductions would be achieved by the purchase of carbon credits. We will buy pieces of paper to achieve our carbon reductions. The rest was achieved by forests that already exist. That is what the Minister set out for 2008-12 in his carbon report the day after the budget. The Minister is talking the talk but, in reality, there will be no significant reductions in emissions. If there were, the Minister would establish good public transport as fast as possible. It is all cosmetic but the Minister will have done nothing to reduce carbon emissions.

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