A plan aimed at achieving Ireland's obligations under the Kyoto Protocols is "unbalanced" and overlooks possible cheaper cuts in other sectors, according to employers' organisation IBEC.
At a conference today in Dublin hosted by the organisation, IBEC said that Ireland faces the third-most challenging and costly environmental targets in the EU under the National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS).
IBEC warned that if these targets were mishandled, it could undermine Ireland's competitiveness internationally.
In a statement issued after the conference - entitled "Making Business Sense of Climate Change" - IBEC said: "Poor decisions in this regard would have a hugely negative effect on competitiveness while achieving no environmental benefit and could potentially damage the significant economic and social progress made over the recent decade.
"Alternatively, taking pragmatic and effective choices now would dramatically reduce the overall cost for the economy, while ensuring the achievement of Ireland's environmental obligations under the Kyoto Protocol," the organisation said.
Climate change, the conference heard, will start affecting business within the next 18 months in Ireland as legislation comes into effect to combat the rise in the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
The IBEC statement argues the Government must make policy decisions that avail of Kyoto's flexible mechanisms, overhaul the NCCS and encourage broad cuts in emissions that will not restrict economic development.