The European Commission has called on member states to intensify their efforts to deal with greenhouse gases after new research concluded that global carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 will be twice as much as those recorded in 1990.
The study calls into question the long-term impact of environmental measures in cutting greenhouse gases and encouraging greater use of renewable sources of energy.
European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said: "We cannot afford to ignore these research findings and their implications for world-wide sustainable development".
The employers' group IBEC earlier warned the Government about its climate change strategy.
IBEC claimed the strategy is 'unbalanced' and that unless it is changed, it could have a 'hugely negative effect' on competitiveness while achieving 'no environmental benefit'.
The statement followed a report last week from the European Environment Agency which found that Ireland is the worst offender in the EU in failing to curb its greenhouse gas emissions.
IBEC claims that Ireland's National Climate Change Strategy is not working because it is mainly focused on the industrial and energy sectors and overlooks significant possibilities which exist for changes elsewhere.
It said the NCCS, which was published in 2000 and is currently under review, needs urgent change or it could potentially damage the significant economic and social progress made in the country over the past decade.
The Green Party has already called for the NCCS to be scrapped, but the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen, has rejected the call saying a programme to reduce green house gas emissions is in place.
