British Environment Minister Ian Pearson criticized airlines in Europe and the United States for not taking climate change seriously, local media reported on Friday.

Pearson described Irish carrier Ryanair, one of Europe's largest low-fare carriers, as "the irresponsible face of capitalism" and its chief executive as "completely off the wall".

He warned that British Airways was "only just about playing ball" in the fight to reduce carbon emissions.

The minister also said that the attitude of several American airlines was a "disgrace". Some U.S. airlines, he said "just seem to be saying they don't want anything to do with the trading scheme, and that they will take the EU to court if transatlantic flights are included. It is completely irresponsible."

But Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said the minister's "green sky" idea was "just another tax".

"It is clear that Minister Pearson has not a clue what he's talking about", Michael O'Leary said.

"The recent Stern Report confirmed that the airline industry accounts for just 1.6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions," O'Leary said. "Airlines are neither the cause nor the solution to climate change." The Ryanair boss said that Pearson has nothing to say about road transport, which accounts for 18 percent, or the power generation industry, which accounts for over 25 percent, of CO2 emissions.

"Mr Pearson is a minister of a Government which has, like Scrooge, this Christmas doubled the air passenger tax on tickets, grabbing another 1 billion pounds in taxes without doing anything whatsoever to invest this money in the environment," O'Leary said.

Source: Xinhua