Results 21,521-21,540 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: With the Acting Chairman's indulgence, I will refer to the general political situation here. It indirectly relates to the European Council because it seems the Council will concern nothing but the nature of politics in France, Italy and, most of all, Britain. How we engage in politics, however, is part of the discussion. Before I entered the Chamber, I was working in the bowels of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: BusConnects Bus Corridors Project: Discussion (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: I will fit in with the Chair. I am on the climate committee which is meeting next door. I will fit in with the arrangement of the Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: BusConnects Bus Corridors Project: Discussion (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Thank you Senator. I wish to follow up on Deputy Shortall's comment on cycling. There is real concern among the cycling community who are starting to look at some of the details. Their fear is that they will be forgotten about. I will give examples. The cycle route from Malahide Road into town, the Clongriffin and the Santry detours are all benefits but when one is coming to the key...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: BusConnects Bus Corridors Project: Discussion (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: This is not easy but we have to do it. The fear from the cycling community is that the concept seems to be that when we come to difficult pinch points, the first response is to remove cyclists from the road. Yesterday, a cycling website released the initial drafts for Rathmines Road. Peak morning cycling numbers on the road are 1,650 or so, with approximately 1,300 cars and vans. Buses...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Professor Ó Gallachóir and everyone in UCC for their good work on this and a whole range of issues. Let us simplify things down. We are 100 million tonnes short. That is over the ten years from 2020 to 2030. There are all sorts of small measures in agriculture with the big ones being a change in fertiliser types. I am not sure what EBI is. Dairy EBI is mentioned in one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Tell me, Tim.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: I know but tell me what EBI is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Better maternity or a better number of-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: So it involves using fewer cows to get more calves.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: I am all for that. We are talking about 17 million or 18 million tonnes if all goes well with all these various measures. Regarding the other figure of 50 million tonnes that are offsets, if I understand it correctly, about 28 million tonnes of that might come from forestry and water management of organic soils and, looking at the tables, our grassland management. Is that correct? Would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Teagasc tables, fine. Roughly half of that 50 million tonnes might come from forestry land use while the other half would be from the selling of the credits in the power generation, so rather than using that, we would give it over to this

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: And about 25 million tonnes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: That must be costing us whatever the price is in the ETS. An estimated average over ten years is probably €35 to €50 per tonne so that is costing us hundreds of millions as a country.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Professor Ó Gallachóir did not mention transport. What are the projected emissions in the transport sector according to the modelling he has shown? How much might we expect from transport based on the analysis and modelling of Professor Ó Gallachóir?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: In that period, our population will probably go up by 15% in the same way it did over the past 12 years. Our car fleet is growing by 55,000 vehicles every year, and unless there is an economic downturn or something changes in our transport system, there is no reason to think that it would change. The way we are going over a long trajectory and with a population increase, even if we got half...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Has anyone carried out an analysis showing how we might reduce the demand for transport in this country rather than the ever-lengthening commute and ever-growing gridlock and congestion with the social and environmental costs associated with that in terms of use of materials? Has anyone ever come to Professor Ó Gallachóir with a plan for how Ireland might reduce the number of cars...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: Professor Ó Gallachóir knows that I have been critical of his work in one regard. I believe there is an overemphasis on the role of biomass, biogas, biomethane and biofuels in this projection of where we are going. Modelling what is going to happen next is always uncertain. A very good report was produced by a series of environmental NGOs such as Climate Action Network Europe,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: It is called Pitfalls and potentials – the role of bioenergy in the EU climate and energy policy post-2020, by, among others, Actionaid, Bird Life and Climate Action Network Europe. I will provide the Chairman with a copy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: It is just one reference.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with regard to least-cost but there is nothing least-cost about burning biomass in a power station. As an engineer, Professor Ó Gallachóir would agree there is no economic case for losing two thirds of waste heat up a chimney and that it is purely a social case. I would love to see us drive Bord na Mona towards the retrofit business. The economic cost to the State of Bord...