Ms Laura Burke:

Nuclear, genetic modification, GM, and incineration are an interesting combination. I am conscious of the EPA's role as regulator in the context of the use of GMs under their various classes, whether in medical usage or in terms of the potential for growth. Ultimately, it is a policy decision that the Oireachtas and the Government need to make. We always say incineration is lower on the chain. Reducing, reusing and recycling come first, then we look at incineration with energy recovery and, finally, landfill. I am moving away from climate now but it is related in a way. Over the past number of years, there has been a reduction in capacity to deal with Irish waste in Ireland. Waste is being exported to other countries, where it is used for energy recovery in many instances. That does not make sense either. Whether it is waste or climate, we need to have a mature discussion overall about what we do with what is generated. The EPA is the regulator so we deal with each individual application in front of us in its own right.

I would like to touch on water and highlight that there are no simple issues here. Everything is interconnected - air quality and climate, too - for good or ill. The promotion of diesel happened throughout Europe, which impacted on air quality, although it was good from a climate perspective. If not dealt with properly, biomass has the potential to impact on air quality. Using electric cars is the opposite; they have a positive impact on air quality. Water is also connected; none of the environmental issues is isolated in its own box. With regard to growing trees and afforestation, the right trees need to be planted in the right place, otherwise there could be a negative impact on water quality. It is the same with agriculture and so on. Everything is interconnected. What we have seen overall with regard to water quality is that the worst of the badly polluted waterways have gone but we are also losing the best of the best. We are losing the pristine water quality areas and rivers and that is something we need to watch in all of this. This is probably best left for a separate discussion on water, which we should have at some stage.