Taxpayers would not support targets which left them out of pocket or restricted their ability to drive, Sammy Wilson said. The draft Climate Change Bill could affect his ministerial work.

The DUP Assembly member and MP is sceptical about global warming, relaying doubts to Stormont's environment committee yesterday.

"Where there are practical things that can be done which will help to achieve those targets I will be quite happy to support them but I think that the targets themselves have not been clearly thought out because we don't know exactly what needs to be done over the next 40 years to achieve those targets," he said.

"I suspect if some of the population knew some of the thinking which is currently floating around they would be horrified."

Provisions of the Bill under consideration at Westminster include reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% before 2050.

It will create a committee on climate change to advise the Government and set five-year 'carbon budgets' to hit the 2050 goal.

It will also set up local pilot schemes to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

Mr Wilson added: "I will be voting against the Climate Change Bill. The reasoning behind the Climate Change Bill is this fixation that somehow, whether or if you reduce Co2 emissions, you will change the world's climate and there's absolutely no consensus that that is the case.

"There are all kinds of actions which will make life much more expensive for all of our citizens as a result of that."

He said if there were steps like boosting fuel security or preventing traffic congestion with a tangible benefit to the community he would support them.

The EU wants European countries to cut carbon dioxide levels by 20% by 2020.

It also wants member states to raise the proportion of renewable energy they use to 20%.

This week accountancy firm Ernst & Young predicted that UK households could see their annual energy bill rise 20% to pay for the cost of meeting the EU's emissions target.