Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. I know him well as a constituency colleague and I know that he is probably one of the most clued-in individuals in the House on this issue. He knows how challenging it is.

What concerns me is that the Irish nation as a whole does not realise the challenge we are facing. The SEAI has estimated that the cost to Ireland may be in the range of €100 million to €150 million for each percentage point Ireland falls short of the overall 16% renewable energy target. In other words, financially it would be a disaster for this nation if we failed to meet the targets. We have to try to explain to people that we have to change and that fossil fuels are going to be a major problem in future. We are going to have to change attitudes. The financial challenges that will arise if we do not reach the targets are extraordinary.

See this speech in context