EPA's greenhouse gas figures call for radical response

New EPA figures mean we must radically overhaul our economic, energy and environmental policies if Ireland is to do its fair share to prevent dangerous climate change according to Friends of the Earth. A report published today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions began to rise again in 2004. They are now 23.5% higher than in 1990 while our current Kyoto commitment is to limit the increase to 13% before 2012.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth Director, Oisin Coghlan said:

"I find it hard to believe the Minister for the Environment welcomes the EPA figures as a sign that we are "decoupling" carbon emissions from economic growth. They only person I know who considers such decoupling a measure of real progress in the fight against climate change is George Bush. We have to reduce actual emissions not just the rate at which they are increasing.

"The latest figures demonstrate the challenge we face. Climate change and energy policy are going to dominate our public agenda in years ahead in the way unemployment and emigration did in years gone by. Let's not forget that Kyoto is just the first step in tackling climate change. The latest science suggests that we need to cut global emissions in half by 2050. To do our fair share Ireland will have to cut our greenhouse pollution by at least two-thirds. We can start now and make incremental changes or we can face disruption and upheaval in the future. There are no short-cuts, quick-fixes or get-out clauses.

"The government has promised a public consultation on new policy measures. My fear is they are only interested in tinkering at the margins. In fact we need to fundamentally reassess the way we think, the way we live and the way we work. We tackled our economic underdevelopment with a creative mix of new thinking, investment in education, social partnership and government incentives. We need the same degree of innovation, investment and incentives and the same social and political commitment if we are to make the shift to sustainability."

The threat from climate change is real. The journal Science published an article today showing the Greenland ice sheet is melting twice as fast as 10 years ago. That melting has the potential to shut down the Gulf Stream in the lifetime of children born today. Without the Gulf Stream Ireland's climate would be closer to that of northern Canada.

At current market rates the price of the carbon permits needed to cover our overshoot above our Kyoto target would be around 150 million a year. Assuming our emissions stabilised and the permit price fell as projected it would still amount to 85 million euro annually for the years 2008-2012 when our current Kyoto commitment applies. That cost would be borne partly by industry buying credits and partly by the Government using taxpayers money to buy credits.

Notes
1) Click here for the EPA report
2) Click here for the Reuters report of the new study on Greenland
3) The market price for carbon permits was 26.98 euro/tonne on 16th February according to www.pointcarbon.com. Government consultants project that the average price during the 2008-2012 period will be 15 euro/tonne. Our Kyoto overshoot according to the new EPA figures stands at 5.7 million tonnes.