Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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189. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on Ireland's obligations under the Kyoto protocol including any purchase of carbon credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47594/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ran from 2008 to 2012. Under the Protocol, Ireland’s emissions were limited to 13% above the baseline amount, or a total of 314.2 Mt CO2e over the five year period. Whilst Ireland’s total national emissions for the years 2008-2012 are below our Kyoto Protocol limit, after adjustments are made to account for the impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Ireland’s forest sinks, the net outturn for the period was a deficit of 2.1 Mt CO2e.

At the end of 2013, the carbon purchasing programme had generated units of various types allowable under the Kyoto Protocol totalling just in excess of 8 Mt CO2e. Furthermore, emissions units allocated to Ireland’s New Entrants Reserve of the Emissions Trading Scheme, but not allocated to installations, totalled approximately 6.55 Mt CO2e, giving a total number of units in hand of in excess of 14.5 Mt CO2e to deal with the deficit. During 2015, after the 2012 emissions inventory have been subject to final international review, a process known as the “true-up” period will begin, during which Ireland will need to retire the requisite numbers of units to demonstrate compliance with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which establishes a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol from 2013 to 2020, was agreed in 2012 but has not yet entered into force. Ireland has completed that necessary domestic acceptance procedures in relation to the Doha Amendment and will be in a position to formally accept it in the first quarter of 2015.