Dr. Florence Renou-Wilson:

The simple answer is "quite a lot". I do not know exactly how much, but a lot of that emissions total comes from the burning of peat and horticulture peat. We could easily move that use to zero. I am not talking just about domestic turf. We do not know how much domestic turf cutting there is in Ireland and what are the associated emissions. We have a vague estimate, but it could be reduced directly. What Deputy Eamon Ryan is talking about really is the drained peat source and whether we can stop those peat soils emitting carbon. If we put in a real effort, we can do so. It is not rocket science. We have the experience and expertise and can do it. Not all of that will be visible because we are into issues relating to managing the water table. It takes a great deal of engineering and work to manage the water table. One cannot just walk away and switch off pumps. That is not managing the water table. Managing the water table takes a great deal of resources; perhaps more than we think.