Commenting on the commencement of the five-year commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. John Gormley, T.D., described it as - "a historic moment for the world - a hugely significant first step in the global response to climate change.
"Ireland will contribute to the success of the Kyoto Protocol by meeting our greenhouse gas target over the 2008-2012 commitment period and by supporting more stringent global emission reduction targets in the period to 2020 and beyond" - the Minister added.
Under the Protocol, the industrialised countries of the world (other than the United States) have agreed to reduce their aggregate greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% below 1990 levels in the commitment period 2008-2012. Ireland's contribution to this objective is to limit average national greenhouse gas emissions over the five years to no more than 13% above 1990 levels.
Welcoming the start of the commitment period under the Protocol, Minister Gormley said - "this is an important step - but, it has taken almost 16 years of intensive international effort to get this far and much more needs to be done if the world is to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Recent scientific advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change leaves no doubt about the fact that the earth's climate system is warming, that the temperature increase is widespread across the world and that the underlying cause is human activity.
"A more comprehensive global response is needed in order to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a safe level. That is the ultimate objective of the Convention and that is what we must achieve. It is not an option and there can be no compromise on achieving it."
Referring to the recent agreement by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to start negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, Minister Gormley said - "the international agenda is now firmly focused on negotiating a new post-2012 agreement by the end of 2009. A key element of the negotiations will be the development of a shared vision for long-term cooperative action - including a long-term global goal for emission reductions.
"For me, that means not allowing global surface temperature to exceed 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond that, the threat to people and the environment becomes unacceptable, with the possibility of severe and potentially irreversible damage due, for example, to projected increases in droughts, heatwaves and floods. That prospect is not acceptable and must not be allowed to happen.
"We have a very short window of opportunity in which to get the global response right" - the Minister added. "If the worst impacts of climate change are to be avoided, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak within the next 10 to 15 years, followed by a progressive reduction to less than half of 1990 levels by 2050.
"That is a major challenge, but the time to act is now - delay will only increase both the difficulty and the cost of tackling climate change" - Minister Gormley concluded.
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