THE AMOUNT of greenhouse gas produced by Ireland’s largest emitters fell by almost one million tonnes last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.
The reduction continues a downward trend in recorded Irish emissions since the European Union-wide Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) started in 2005.
The scheme was introduced to tackle emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to combat climate change.
Under the scheme, high emitters are given a quota in the form of tonnes of emissions of CO2 gases each year. Companies covered under ETS include power com-panies and glass and steel manufacturers. Verified greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland have fallen from 22.43 million tonnes in 2005 to 20.38 million tonnes last year, the EPA said. Some 21.25 million tonnes were emitted in 2007.
EPA director general Dr Mary Kelly welcomed the development and attributed the reduction to the economic downturn and the impact of the scheme.
“The results released by the EPA show how the Emissions Trading Scheme has been successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.
“While no doubt some of the reduction reflects the economic downturn which began to have significant impact during 2008, nonetheless the overall picture is one of progressive annual emission reductions.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label carbon planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carbon planning. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Go online to calculate your carbon footprint
An online 'carbon calculator' launched yesterday will work out the impact of your lifestyle on the planet.
Repak -- a recycling promotion agency who developed the system -- said it is the first publicly accessible one of its kind in Ireland.
Environment Minister John Gormley said the internet calculator, at www.repak.ie, would help people reduce their carbon footprint.
Users can determine their environmental impact by inputting details of their daily routine onto the website.
It will assess home heating methods, calculate energy consumption and investigate types of insulation being used by the householder. It will also gauge the type of lighting used at home, as well as the impact of their transport use, from private cars to long haul flights.
Users, who remain anonymous, are instantly provided with a monthly breakdown of carbon emissions. They are also given a comparative average for their lifestyle and hints and tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint.
Brian Hutton
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Repak -- a recycling promotion agency who developed the system -- said it is the first publicly accessible one of its kind in Ireland.
Environment Minister John Gormley said the internet calculator, at www.repak.ie, would help people reduce their carbon footprint.
Users can determine their environmental impact by inputting details of their daily routine onto the website.
It will assess home heating methods, calculate energy consumption and investigate types of insulation being used by the householder. It will also gauge the type of lighting used at home, as well as the impact of their transport use, from private cars to long haul flights.
Users, who remain anonymous, are instantly provided with a monthly breakdown of carbon emissions. They are also given a comparative average for their lifestyle and hints and tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint.
Brian Hutton
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Carbon offsets bought for Ryan's US air flights
The Government is to buy carbon offsets for the first time to cover the carbon dioxide emissions caused by a business trip this week by the newly-appointed Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, to the United States.
The Irish Consulate in New York has also bought subway tickets for Mr Ryan and his officials when they travel around Manhattan, rather than the luxury Lincoln limousines favoured by visiting ministers.
The carbon offsets, costing €437.64, are being purchased from environmental group, myclimate.org, which invest in projects in the developed world that cut C02 emissions.
The offsets bought cover the emissions from business class trips by the Minister and four officials for three flights: Dublin to New York; Washington to Newark and Newark to Dublin, the Department of Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources said last night.
The Government intends to put its own system in place to compensate for the environmental damage caused by ministerial flights, which will include planting mature trees in urban areas, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has already said. Mr Ryan's Green Party colleague, Minister for the Environment John Gormley is to bring a memorandum to Cabinet on the issue in coming weeks, it is understood.
On Tuesday, Mr Ryan will visit the Emerald Isle Immigration Centre in the Bronx, followed by a meeting with the Aisling Emigrant Advice Centre in Yonkers and, later, he will meet with "undocumented" Irish in Eileen's Country
Kitchen before meeting with the Young Irish Network, alongside Irish developer and philanthropist, Niall Mellon.
On Wednesday, Mr Ryan will meet the most senior elected Irish-American in New York politics, speaker Christine Quinn, and visit Ground Zero. Later, he will meet staff from New York governor Eliot Spitzer's environment and sustainability team, and Dr Rohit Aggarwala, director of the New York mayor's office for long-term planning and sustainability,
He will later meet Irish renewable energy firm, Airtricity and visit Enterprise Ireland's incubator centre in the same building, before dinner with telecom industry executives.
Rather than flying, Mr Ryan will travel by train to Washington for meetings on Thursday with the European-American Business Council (EABC), and representative Ed Markey, chair of the House of Representatives sub-committee for telecoms and member of the sub-committee for energy and air quality.
He will later hold talks with Dick Beaird, deputy US co-ordinator for multilateral affairs at the State Department; Billy Pizer of Resources for the Future and Brian Thompson of Global Telecom.
On Friday, he will meet with the Irish Ambassador, Michael Collins. Afterwards he will have talks with the Federal Communications Commission, and John Kneuer, assistant secretary for communications of the US Department of Commerce.
Mark Hennessy
© 2007 The Irish Times
The Irish Consulate in New York has also bought subway tickets for Mr Ryan and his officials when they travel around Manhattan, rather than the luxury Lincoln limousines favoured by visiting ministers.
The carbon offsets, costing €437.64, are being purchased from environmental group, myclimate.org, which invest in projects in the developed world that cut C02 emissions.
The offsets bought cover the emissions from business class trips by the Minister and four officials for three flights: Dublin to New York; Washington to Newark and Newark to Dublin, the Department of Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources said last night.
The Government intends to put its own system in place to compensate for the environmental damage caused by ministerial flights, which will include planting mature trees in urban areas, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has already said. Mr Ryan's Green Party colleague, Minister for the Environment John Gormley is to bring a memorandum to Cabinet on the issue in coming weeks, it is understood.
On Tuesday, Mr Ryan will visit the Emerald Isle Immigration Centre in the Bronx, followed by a meeting with the Aisling Emigrant Advice Centre in Yonkers and, later, he will meet with "undocumented" Irish in Eileen's Country
Kitchen before meeting with the Young Irish Network, alongside Irish developer and philanthropist, Niall Mellon.
On Wednesday, Mr Ryan will meet the most senior elected Irish-American in New York politics, speaker Christine Quinn, and visit Ground Zero. Later, he will meet staff from New York governor Eliot Spitzer's environment and sustainability team, and Dr Rohit Aggarwala, director of the New York mayor's office for long-term planning and sustainability,
He will later meet Irish renewable energy firm, Airtricity and visit Enterprise Ireland's incubator centre in the same building, before dinner with telecom industry executives.
Rather than flying, Mr Ryan will travel by train to Washington for meetings on Thursday with the European-American Business Council (EABC), and representative Ed Markey, chair of the House of Representatives sub-committee for telecoms and member of the sub-committee for energy and air quality.
He will later hold talks with Dick Beaird, deputy US co-ordinator for multilateral affairs at the State Department; Billy Pizer of Resources for the Future and Brian Thompson of Global Telecom.
On Friday, he will meet with the Irish Ambassador, Michael Collins. Afterwards he will have talks with the Federal Communications Commission, and John Kneuer, assistant secretary for communications of the US Department of Commerce.
Mark Hennessy
© 2007 The Irish Times
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