Athlone Chamber said that in light of the General Election date being brought forward the Climate Change Bill will now be withdrawn to allow for adequate consultation on the potentially penal targets for industry and society that it proposes.
Michael O’Brien, president of Athlone Chamber said, “While we are all in agreement that the issues surrounding climate change need to be addressed, the targets in this Bill will be unduly onerous for Irish business and society. Left unchanged, it could lead to very significant price hikes on gas and electricity bills for both businesses and households.
“Ireland has the strictest emissions targets in the world - by 2020 emissions should be 20 per cent below 2005 emissions. This Bill seeks to increase the target to a 30 per cent reduction, at a time when our European counterparts have yet to commit to binding targets at all.”
“Businesses across Ireland desperately need pro-enterprise policies. This Bill, as currently drafted, will cause even more company closures and job losses, and will further weaken an already feeble consumer confidence,” O’Brien concluded.
