Eco Evolution Blog

Press Release 10th June 2010

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) operates the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in Ireland. Over 100 major industrial and institutional sites in Ireland are covered by the Scheme (over 12,000 sites in the EU as a whole).  These include power generation, other combustion, cement, lime, glass and ceramic plants and oil refining. Also included are large companies in areas such as food & drink, pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors. Each company must record their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions every year onto the National Emissions Trading Registry which is an on-line web-based system which tracks GHG emissions and records allowance holdings.

The Environmental Protection Agency has now made information from Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry publicly available in line with the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol.

This publicly available information covers:

• Account holders authorised to hold Kyoto units in an account on Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry.
• Unit holdings by account type (e.g. Party account or entity account).

To view this information please click on the Publicly Accessible Information link on the homepage of Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry.

Further information on accounts in Ireland’s National Emissions Trading Registry (including annual emissions data for each installation) can be found on the website of the EU’s Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL).

Find out more information on the operation of the Emissions Trading Scheme in Ireland.

Source: http://www.epa.ie/news/pr/2010/name,28658,en.html

Eco Evolution were invited to the climate change conference by the Wexford County Development Board. 

The speakers on the day were from the EPA, Wexford County Council, NUI Maynooth, Teagasc and Courtown Waterworld.

Wexford County Development Board, (CDB), wanted to highlight and discuss the implications of climate change. The CDB launched its strategy “Action for change 2009-2012″ last year. Action 7 calls for a  local multi-agency response to climate change. The aim of the conference was to raise local awareness and consider how Wexford can adapt to the likely impacts.

In time, the impacts of climate change will be more apparent in Wexford. There continues to be debate but predicted effects include:

• More intense storm and rainfall events
• Water shortages in the Summer and the need to irrigate crops
• Effects on fish species that are sensitive to small temperature changes
• Accelerated coastal errosion

The purpose of this conference was to localise the issue, to highlight the effects of climate change for our economy and public services and our citizens and their environment. The conference illustrated the impact of climate change at County level and also the possible adjustments that may be needed to manage longer term change.

For full details of the Conference speakers presentations follow the link below:

http://www.wexfordcdb.ie/cdb/ClimateChangeConference/#d.en.14835

EPA Press Release: 28th April 2010.

• Latest greenhouse gas emissions projections show Ireland will comply with Kyoto Protocol without any more purchases
• Achieving more stringent 2020 targets will require further reduction measures yet to be identified
• Growth in transport emissions projected to slow significantly to 2020 compared with annual growth rates 1990-2008
• Carbon sinks (such as increased afforestation) crucial for 2020 target

The EPA today released projected emissions of Ireland’s greenhouse gases up to 2020. These projections, produced on an annual basis, give a picture of Ireland’s ability to meet international targets with respect to greenhouse gas emissions and update those published in March 2009.

The projections are reported on a sectoral basis and highlight, once again, that the key sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland are agriculture, energy and transport.

Commenting on the projections Dr Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA said:

“National greenhouse gas projections are important in understanding Ireland’s greenhouse gas profile in the medium term, and in assessing the effectiveness of policy measures designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.  The projections released today reflect the effects of the economic downturn, and the anticipated recovery, based on ESRI economic forecasts. Even with reductions due to the downturn it is projected that Ireland will still be 2.8 million tonnes per annum of CO2e above the non-ETS target in 2020 taking the most ambitious scenarios set out in Government policies and assuming that forestry sinks are fully included.”

Complete EPA Report: http://www.epa.ie/news/pr/2010/name,28091,en.html

Date released: Feb 18 2010, 12:05 PM

New research, published today by the EPA, shows how economic forecasts can be used to project waste generation and emissions of pollutants across Ireland.  The ISus (Irish Sustainable Development) Model is based on the work of a three-year study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), funded under the EPA STRIVE research programme.

Speaking about the findings of the research, Dr. Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA said:

“This model, developed by the ESRI, is very welcome. We are all aware of the use of GDP and other statistics to measure economic change. These, however, leave many things unmeasured, including the environment.
The ISus model provides a link between economic forecasting and potential environmental impacts.  This enables us to use the expertise of the ESRI, in relation to economic data, and link this with the environmental data produced by the EPA. The results will aid policy and decision makers to diagnose environmental problems, identify pressure points, target policy interventions and assess their success.
For example, projections on the generation of biodegradable waste – how much and where – could be a very useful tool for planning the location and required capacity for waste management infrastructure in the future.”

 ISus covers more than 25 potential pollutants (to air, water and waste) emanating from 20 economic sectors.

Some of the findings from the research:

• In relation to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: Ireland faces a significant challenge in meeting its target for 2020.
• In relation to waste generation: projections from the model suggest that Ireland will also have great difficulty meeting EU limits on landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste.
• In relation to carbon tax: it illustrates the spatial distribution of households likely to pay the highest tax, with those in the commuter belts likely to pay most.
  The data show that in the period 1990 – 2006, while the economy was growing strongly, some emissions (sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds) have fallen, while others (carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, dioxins)  have increased.  ISus is able to attribute these changes to economic growth, structural changes in the economy and technological and behavioural change.

“The EPA is very happy to be working in collaboration with ESRI on this project and hopes to be able to reap the benefits of the work in producing forecasts and projections for environmental impacts based on different scenarios in the future”said Dr Kelly.

 The report Ireland’s Sustainable Development Model  is available on the EPA website.

The findings from this research are being presented today at a seminar on Environmental Projections and Policy for Ireland in the Economic and Social Research Institute.

Editor’s Notes:
This work was funded through the EPA’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment Programme (STRIVE). The programme employs a strategic and targeted approach to protecting and improving the natural environment through the provision and accumulation of scientific research and knowledge. Funding for the EPA STRIVE Programme is provided through the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the programme is administered by the EPA on their behalf.

http://epa.ie/news/pr/2010/name,27794,en.html