Carbon tax: Green Party TD Eamon Ryan has called Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats "idiots" for deciding to abandon plans for a carbon tax last year.
At the party conference on Saturday, Mr Ryan described the decision as one of the worst the current Government had made.
The proposed tax, which was announced in 2002, was to have been a key element in the State's plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to comply with commitments under the Kyoto agreement. Last year the then minister for finance Charlie McCreevy said the Government had dropped the plan because it would be too costly for business and the economy.
Mr Ryan said the tax would not have meant an increased tax burden if it had been implemented properly.
He said the revenue from the tax could have been used to lower labour taxes and increase social welfare payments.
"It is one of the worst decisions that this Government has made and we will look back at history and ask how the idiots got it wrong."
Mr Ryan said his party had a clear and comprehensive set of principles aimed at economic and business development, and that most of them had a "hands-off" approach. "It is largely one based on common sense."
The party was in favour of major investment in education, research and development to ensure Ireland had one of the most educated, highly skilled and sought after workforces for foreign companies. He said the Greens also agreed with various national industrial development reports of the last 20 years which advocated the development of indigenous economy.
A key element of this was the promotion of alternative energy sources. He said Ireland was one of the most fossil fuel-dependent countries in the world, and a switch to green and renewable energies would make the economy much more competitive.
Mr Ryan accused the Government of being blind to this opportunity and said that wind energy companies were pulling out of the country because of this.
Mr Ryan said Green environmental policies were also essential if Ireland was to retain its tourist industry, which currently accounts for one in 12 jobs in the State.