GREENER IS CLEANER

Reports indicate there has been a dramatic increase in Ireland's Greenhouse emissions, signaling that major efforts will be required to reverse this trend. Niamh Mac Sweeney reports on the rise in emissions and effort being made to change.

Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas emissions rose by 1.9% in 2005, compared to 2004 according to a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report. Figures released by the EPA show that while Ireland’s Kyoto objective from 2008 to 2012 is to limit emissions to 13%, Ireland’s emissions in 2005 were in fact 25.4% above the base line estimate.

Commenting on the figures Dr Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA said, “the figures are disappointing, reflecting the difficulty of reducing emissions in a growing economy.” She also said that figures in relation to transport were particularly worrying, as they had increased by 6.9% on the previous year.

Bioenergy Action Plan

AMONG THE COMMITMENTS IN THE GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAN ARE:

By 2020 a third of all electricity consumed in Ireland will come from renewable sources such as wind, tidal, and solar All peat electricity power stations will be co-fired by 30% renewable material by 2015 saving 900,000 tonnes of CO2 per year 5% of all residential and commercial heating will be powered by renewable sources by 2010 and 12% by 2020 Within 12 months building regulations will be reviewed to raise the energy efficiency of all new homes by at least 40% By 2009 a new biofuel obligation will mean that all petrol and diesel will have on average a 5.75% biofuel mix saving 770,000 tonnes of CO2 per year All new busses in the public fleet will use a biofuel blend of at least 30% New energy efficient designs for schools will be piloted in 40 new schools with a view to a national roll out A new programme of efficiency measures including mandatory use of energy efficient lighting in hospitals, offices and other public buildings will be introduced with immediate effect

Transport Emissions

The rise of transport emissions was by far the largest in any sector in 2005 and reflected a 160% increase on 1990 figures. Transport emissions made up 19% of the 2005 total, most of which were generated by road transport (96%). The increase reflects increasing vehicle numbers, a trend towards purchasing larger vehicles, an increased reliance on private cars and increasing road freight transport.

Energy emissions contributed 23% of Ireland’s total emissions in 2005 having risen by 38% between 1990 and 2005. Emissions from power generation, having reduced in earlier years have shown a 2.4% increase in 2005 reflecting the greater use of peat in the fuel mix.

Reaching Targets

When asked whether Ireland can reach its Kyoto target by 2012, Dr Kelly said, “the Kyoto target will be met by a combination of domestic actions and purchase of carbon credits as allowed for under the Kyoto Protocol and provided for in Ireland’s draft Review of the National Climate Change Strategy. Today’s figures show that using the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanisms will be important in the 2008 to 2012 period, but actions to reduce domestic emissions must be intensified and strengthened. Greenhouse gases emitted now will remain in the atmosphere for many decades and affect the climate for centuries to come.”

Global Warming

Dr Kelly concluded, “in the post-Kyoto period emissions reductions in the order of 15 to 30% on 1990 emissions are being proposed to avoid irreversible and damaging climate change. Europe is aiming to limit the inevitable global temperature increase to just two degrees Celsius above preindustrial times. Ireland needs to play its role in meeting this objective”.

Bioenergy Action Plan

Meanwhile the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey T.D., published a new ambitious bioenergy action plan for Ireland. The strategy, produced by the Ministerial Task Force on Bioenergy, comprising seven Government Departments and Ministers, hopes to increase the deployment of renewable energy across three key sectors: transport, heat and electricity.

Speaking at the launch of the action plan, Minister Dempsey stressed the significance of the Government's decision to tackle renewable energy policy. “We recognised early that the transport, heat and electricity sectors are almost equal in the amount of energy they use and the CO2 emissions they produce. In this plan we set out clear, cross department strategies to deal with each of these sectors. The end result will be CO2 savings in the region of two million tonnes a year. This is extremely good news for the environment,” the minister said.

Indigenous Renewable Energy

By setting ambitious targets the Bioenergy Action Plan will lead to the development of a significant indigenous renewable energy sector. Bioenergy can provide a continuous and predictable clean energy source that has enormous potential for reducing Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuel imports. It will provide benefits to rural economies by creating new jobs in new industries and it has the potential to open massive opportunities for Irish agriculture and forestry with the production of fuel producing crops.

The minister said he had been struck by the strong public appetite for increased energy efficiency and said the Government will continue to drive the entire community to play a role in the development of a more sustainable energy economy in Ireland.