Dáil debates
Wednesday, 8 November 2006
Priority Questions
Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
1:00 pm
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 4: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the recent reports that Ireland will overshoot its Kyoto target by approximately16%; his plans to reduce Ireland's carbon emissions; when he will publish the revised climate change strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36888/06]
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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References in a recent EEA report to a potential shortfall of 16% on the Kyoto target failed to take account of a number of key measures in Ireland's strategy for complying with the Kyoto Protocol. This arises from the methodology the EEA applied. It did not take into account the EU emissions trading scheme, which was praised in the recent Stern report and which will account for 3 million tonnes, sequestration of carbon from forests nor any purchases of appropriate credits through international trading mechanisms.
On the basis of these policies and measures already agreed, Ireland is now positioned to reduce carbon emissions by 14.6 million tonnes, bringing us within 0.6 million tonnes of our Kyoto target for the 2008-12 period. Further measures to close the remaining gap of 0.6 million tonnes will be decided in the coming months.
In total, reductions of 15.2 million tonnes per annum, on average, will be achieved over the indicative period through existing measures throughout the economy, which will achieve a reduction of 8 million tonnes per annum, and a further series of measures which will bridge that 0.6 million tonnes gap; participation by Irish companies in the EU emissions trading scheme, which will contribute 3 million tonnes, and the purchase of up to 3.6 million carbon allowances in each of the years for the indicative period.
Based on the recent review and a public consultation which followed its publication, I am preparing a revised climate change strategy. This will also be informed, inter alia, by the range of new measures identified in the Green Paper on Energy published last month, which were not involved in the EEA calculations. These include the greener homes renewable energy grants for households and the commercial bio-heat scheme which together will deliver an approximate 200,000 tonne reduction in emissions; new ambitious targets for renewable energy use of 15% by 2010 and 30% by 2020 and, therefore, a tonnage saving; more than doubling the use of biofuels by 2010 from 2% to 5.75%, which again will have a carbon saving; the establishment of a task force on bio-energy to develop an integrated national policy in this area; an action plan on energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption 20% by 2020, but again that is not in the EEA calculation; and other grants, for example, for combined heat and power.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
Increasing the use of combined heat and power to 350 MW by 2010 with grants for 30% of the installation costs; and a commitment to co-firing peat-fired power stations with 30% biomass by 2015.
The additional reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that will be achieved through these measures will be sufficient for Ireland to reach our Kyoto Protocol target based on current projections.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Does the Minister think anybody but himself is right on matters relating to the environment? All the Opposition spokespersons are wrong and now the European Environment Agency is wrong.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Frankly, he lectures everybody, and everybody else is wrong but himself. I want to ask about the areas for which he is responsible and they are not that complicated. The Minister promised that he would publish a revised climate change strategy by the end of 2006. When will the revised climate change strategy be published? Will he tell the House the total tonnage of greenhouse gas emissions at the time the current climate change strategy was published and what it is now, in other words, leaving aside the issue of emissions trading? By how much, if anything, have greenhouse gas emissions in the State been reduced since publication of the climate change strategy?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Lest I be accused of lecturing, I was pointing out that the EEA has a calculation methodology which does not take into account the 3 millions tonnes which I mentioned under the EU emissions trading scheme. It is quite legitimate to point out that is the case because that is part of the 11 million tonnes saving that has already been identified. It does not take into account the 3.6 million tonnes, the second figure I mentioned, which was identified as far back as 2004 for purchase under the scheme, which again was recognised by Stern.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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What has been achieved——
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The situation in Ireland is that this country——
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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——in greenhouse gas emissions?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy has finished asking the question I will give him the answer.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I ask the Minister to give me the answer.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's economy, since the reference year of 1990, has grown by 150%.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Our greenhouse gas emissions have grown by 23%, 10% above the indicative rate of 13%, which we have to reach.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Have we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Let me give the Deputy some indications.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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By how much and what is the total figure? What is the total tonnage by which we have reduced it?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I will give the Deputy the exact figures. In industry we are well on the way to meeting the 3 million tonnes target. That is accepted.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I will deal with that too if the Deputy allows me. If he stops asking questions I will answer them. CAP reforms will reduce carbon emissions. We are in the process of reducing by 2.4 million tonnes. There has been a significant reduction.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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By how much has it been reduced?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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We have to reduce our indicative figure——
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I know what we have to reduce it by.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Our indicative figure is to get down to 15 million tonnes below the projected figure, that is, down to 63 million tonnes by the indicative period. We will get down to that figure.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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That is the figure we have to get to.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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How much have we done? There is more to do. What is done?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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That is correct, there is a lot done and there is more to do. I accept that.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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How much? By how many tonnes have carbon emissions been reduced?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In energy, we have already had significant savings. We are down towards 1.3 million tonnes over a variety of sources. Industry is well on target. In the CAP, for example, the nitrates and the other programme will reduce by 2.7 million tonnes, forestry will reduce by 2.8 million tonnes. We are talking about the future, 2012.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Kyoto Protocol has been in place since 1997, that is ten years.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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That is correct. The period within which we have to reach the target is between 2008 and 2012, and we have not reached 2008.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Will we do it all in the last year? When will the Minister publish the climate change strategy?
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In fact, the building regulations will take 300,000 tonnes off.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Cuffe asked specifically about transport. Transport savings are already 500——
Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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These are Priority Questions. I call Deputy Gilmore for a brief question.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The question I asked the Minister is on page 33 of Towards 2016, which——
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It will be before the end of this year.
Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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That is what we are working towards. I am sorry, I did not mean to ignore the Deputy when giving other information.