Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion

4:00 pm

Dr. Eugene Hendrick:

To be clear on the carbon credits, one must distinguish between what is called the voluntary market, which is traded internationally or in certain jurisdictions, and a compliance market. In the voluntary market there are markets for voluntary offsetting and so forth. However, in terms of the afforestation programme in Ireland that would potentially be eligible for use to make a compliance statement, that is the compliance market. It is not as if it is traded or whatever. It is for Ireland to make its compliance with its national target in the EU. It is not a traded commodity in that sense.