INDEPENDENT senators have stolen a march on the Green Party with the introduction of a comprehensive environmental bill that aims to enshrine climate change targets in law.
The provisions of the Climate Protection Bill, tabled by Senator Ivana Bacik, closely mirrors the commitments secured by the Greens before entering government with Fianna Fáil.
According to the bill, there should be a statutory goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 3% per year from 2010, as well as providing for long-term goals of reducing emissions by at least 60% in 2050.
About 20,000 people adjoined to Friends of the Earth and environment NGOs sent emails to the 60 elected senators yesterday urging them to support the bill. In advance of last night’s debate, the Greens and Ms Bacik agreed cross-party consensus on the bill should be sought ahead of a vote in December.
In his address to the Seanad, Environment Minister John Gormley said the bill should proceed on the basis of an all-party approach on climate change targets and objectives.
“Our efforts to achieve this national consensus would be undermined if we could not reach consensus among the parties in these Houses,” he said.
“I believe that all parties are genuine in their stated commitment to tackling climate change. If that is indeed the case, we should rise above adversarial politics and show united leadership to the Irish people.”
His party colleague Senator Deirdre de Burca said it was “extremely disappointing” a private members’ motion proposed by her party in 2005 seeking an all-party approach to dealing with the issue of climate change was voted down by both Labour and Fine Gael.
“I am calling on FG and Labour here today to get down off the fence and to stop playing political football with the deadly important issue of climate change,” she said.
“I invite them to join a new all-party commission on climate change that will agree the objectives and policy measures that will allow this country to meet the annual targets of 3% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions included in the current programme for government.”
Áine Kerr
The Examiner
Showing posts with label global warming and planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label global warming and planning. Show all posts
Friday, 5 October 2007
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Gormley: We have just 10 years to change
MANKIND has just 10 years to ensure the planet remains habitable for human beings, Environment Minister John Gormley told the UN in New York.
Ireland will keep its climate change emission commitments under the Kyoto Treaty, he told world leaders.
He also did not rule out the introduction of a carbon tax to meet commitments.
The meeting was called to galvanise the support of governments around the world for a new, comprehensive treaty to limit the emission of greenhouse gases and replace the one agreed in Kyoto, which expires in 2012.
In his address, Mr Gormley warned that the window of opportunity to avert the worst consequences of climate change was fast closing.
"We have 10 years. Ten years to stabilise our greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure that our planet remains habitable for human beings, 10 years to act decisively," he said.
"And we have squandered precious time," added the minister.
Ireland was a relatively small western European country, Mr Gormley told the General Assembly.
"Thanks to the warming effect of the Gulfstream on the north Atlantic, we have a temperate climate all year round."
He said:"We value our temperate climate and we are determined to do everything possible to protect it in the interest of present and future generations of Irish people."
Meanwhile, a survey carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes for the Power of One campaign by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources shows that 36pc of workers label themselves "energy wasters" in the workplace.
Irish Independent
Ireland will keep its climate change emission commitments under the Kyoto Treaty, he told world leaders.
He also did not rule out the introduction of a carbon tax to meet commitments.
The meeting was called to galvanise the support of governments around the world for a new, comprehensive treaty to limit the emission of greenhouse gases and replace the one agreed in Kyoto, which expires in 2012.
In his address, Mr Gormley warned that the window of opportunity to avert the worst consequences of climate change was fast closing.
"We have 10 years. Ten years to stabilise our greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure that our planet remains habitable for human beings, 10 years to act decisively," he said.
"And we have squandered precious time," added the minister.
Ireland was a relatively small western European country, Mr Gormley told the General Assembly.
"Thanks to the warming effect of the Gulfstream on the north Atlantic, we have a temperate climate all year round."
He said:"We value our temperate climate and we are determined to do everything possible to protect it in the interest of present and future generations of Irish people."
Meanwhile, a survey carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes for the Power of One campaign by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources shows that 36pc of workers label themselves "energy wasters" in the workplace.
Irish Independent
Giant seabed plumbing plan 'could halt global warming'
Global warming can be halted by plumbing a gigantic array of pipes into the depths of the oceans, according to two of the world's leading environmental scientists.
Pipes measuring up to 650ft (200m) long and 33ft in diameter should be installed and used to pump nutrient-rich water up to the surface to encourage plankton blooms, they say.
The plankton growth would then take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and encourage cloud formation that together would, they believe, cool the world and save it from global warming.
James Lovelock, the originator of the Gaia theory, and Chris Rapley, director of the Science Museum and a former head of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), put forward the proposal in a letter to the scientific journal Nature.
The two professors hoped that their proposal would encourage other scientists to concentrate on establishing novel techniques to halt global warming instead of writing off geo-engineering as an impossible solution.
But the idea ran into controversy at once, with one scientist branding it "a waste of time" and others expressing doubts about its effectiveness.
Under the proposal, hundreds of thousands of pipes -- placed strategically in the seas -- would be fitted with a buoyant collar to keep one end at the surface, where they would rise and fall with the waves. Nutrients at the surface would encourage blooms of microscopic plant life, the professors suggested.
The Times, London
Pipes measuring up to 650ft (200m) long and 33ft in diameter should be installed and used to pump nutrient-rich water up to the surface to encourage plankton blooms, they say.
The plankton growth would then take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and encourage cloud formation that together would, they believe, cool the world and save it from global warming.
James Lovelock, the originator of the Gaia theory, and Chris Rapley, director of the Science Museum and a former head of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), put forward the proposal in a letter to the scientific journal Nature.
The two professors hoped that their proposal would encourage other scientists to concentrate on establishing novel techniques to halt global warming instead of writing off geo-engineering as an impossible solution.
But the idea ran into controversy at once, with one scientist branding it "a waste of time" and others expressing doubts about its effectiveness.
Under the proposal, hundreds of thousands of pipes -- placed strategically in the seas -- would be fitted with a buoyant collar to keep one end at the surface, where they would rise and fall with the waves. Nutrients at the surface would encourage blooms of microscopic plant life, the professors suggested.
The Times, London
Sunday, 22 July 2007
'Global warming threatens our very existence' - Gormley
Mr John Gormley TD Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government addressed the Patrick MacGill Summer School & Arts Week 2007 in Donegal.
The Minister was speaking on the session - 'Saving our Environment' - and outlined some of his priorities in the Programme for Government and, in particular, the number one priority for both the Minister and the Green Party - Climate Change.
"In Government, the issues and principles remain the same. What changes is that the Green Party - through me as the Minister for the Environment - are now responsible for progressing the environmental agenda."
The Minister spoke of measures -
* The reform of waste management, to reduce waste levels and ensure that incineration is no longer the cornerstone of our waste management policy.
* A review of the Environmental Protection Agency, so as to ensure the Agency can address the ever-increasing pressures on the natural environment.
* A review of the current levels of fines and sentences for environmental crime, to improve enforcement of our environment laws.
* On our built heritage, the Government will work on an all-island basis to protect our shared archaeological heritage.
"I have recently ordered a fundamental review of archaeological procedures and practices to improve this" - said Minister Gormley. "These priority areas, like almost all environmental issues, have a direct bearing on our 'quality of life' and the 'quality of life' of future generations" - he added.
Speaking on climate change, the Minister said - "Global warming threatens not just our 'quality of life' - but the very survival of this planet and we who live on it. If global warming is allowed to continue unchecked, the sheer scale of potential disruption and destruction of people and the environment is almost beyond comprehension."
The minister referred to the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - a body incorporating the foremost experts on meterology and climate change in the world. The report of the scientists gathered information from 29,000 sources in relation to the natural world. The IPCC report from last April (Click Here) concluded that it would be the poorest people living in the poorest regions who will suffer most.
"In other words, those who have contributed least to the problem will bear the brunt of the consequences" - the Minister said.
Dry areas, such as those in sub Saharan Africa, will become up to 30 per cent drier, resulting in food shortages and increased levels of illness. Low-lying areas with high rainfall, like the Bay of Bengal, will become up to 30 per cent wetter. "People living in these low-lying areas - again many of them living below the poverty line - will be very prone to flooding."
Referring to statistics gathered by Irish scientists -
* Mean annual temperatures in Ireland rose by over 0.7°C between 1890 and 2004. More than half of that increase - or 0.42°C - has taken place since 1980
* Six of the ten warmest years in Ireland have occurred since 1995 - the last decade has been the warmest on record and last year was the second warmest year on record.
The Programme for Government emphasises the Government's commitment to take the necessary action. In addition to the full implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy, the Government intends to agree an all-party approach on climate change targets - and, in advance of this, to set a challenging target of a 3% reduction per year, on average, in our greenhouse gas emissions.
"The measures in the Programme for Government are comprehensive, but will take time to be fully effective. Meanwhile, compliance with our Kyoto target will be measured over the 2008-2012 period and our starting position is that we're more than 10% above the target level of emissions. While carbon credits are a second-best solution, they do have a role to play and, along with most other EU Member States, we will have to avail of them.
"My absolute priority will be to ensure that we meet our Kyoto target - failure to do so would seriously damage the post-2012 agenda and undermine our credibility as a nation committed to sustainable development. That said, in meeting our target, I will be aiming to maximise the introduction of measures further, to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions and minimise the requirement to supplement domestic action through the purchase of credits.
"The more we can achieve in terms of transition to a low-carbon society in the Kyoto Protocol period, the better prepared we will be to manage the more demanding agenda in the period to 2020 and beyond."
Following this year's Spring meeting of the European Council, the EU sent a strong signal on its expectations of a post-2012 agreement. Using 1990 as the base year, Heads of State and Government agreed to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 20% by 2020. They also signalled a willingness to reduce emissions even further - up to 30% - if other developed countries committed themselves to comparable emission reductions and economically more-advanced developing countries contributed to the process in terms compatible with their responsibilities and respective capabilities.
On the issue of awareness, the Government has preparing a major national climate change campaign, which has just gone out to tender. A budget of €15 million over 5 years has been earmarked for the project.
"Climate change is not something the Government - or the Green Party - can be left to tackle alone. It is not down to business, to farmers, to commuters or any specific sector - that is the challenge. It is down to every individual to play their part, to take action, to become part of the solution" - concluded the Minister.
The Minister was speaking on the session - 'Saving our Environment' - and outlined some of his priorities in the Programme for Government and, in particular, the number one priority for both the Minister and the Green Party - Climate Change.
"In Government, the issues and principles remain the same. What changes is that the Green Party - through me as the Minister for the Environment - are now responsible for progressing the environmental agenda."
The Minister spoke of measures -
* The reform of waste management, to reduce waste levels and ensure that incineration is no longer the cornerstone of our waste management policy.
* A review of the Environmental Protection Agency, so as to ensure the Agency can address the ever-increasing pressures on the natural environment.
* A review of the current levels of fines and sentences for environmental crime, to improve enforcement of our environment laws.
* On our built heritage, the Government will work on an all-island basis to protect our shared archaeological heritage.
"I have recently ordered a fundamental review of archaeological procedures and practices to improve this" - said Minister Gormley. "These priority areas, like almost all environmental issues, have a direct bearing on our 'quality of life' and the 'quality of life' of future generations" - he added.
Speaking on climate change, the Minister said - "Global warming threatens not just our 'quality of life' - but the very survival of this planet and we who live on it. If global warming is allowed to continue unchecked, the sheer scale of potential disruption and destruction of people and the environment is almost beyond comprehension."
The minister referred to the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - a body incorporating the foremost experts on meterology and climate change in the world. The report of the scientists gathered information from 29,000 sources in relation to the natural world. The IPCC report from last April (Click Here) concluded that it would be the poorest people living in the poorest regions who will suffer most.
"In other words, those who have contributed least to the problem will bear the brunt of the consequences" - the Minister said.
Dry areas, such as those in sub Saharan Africa, will become up to 30 per cent drier, resulting in food shortages and increased levels of illness. Low-lying areas with high rainfall, like the Bay of Bengal, will become up to 30 per cent wetter. "People living in these low-lying areas - again many of them living below the poverty line - will be very prone to flooding."
Referring to statistics gathered by Irish scientists -
* Mean annual temperatures in Ireland rose by over 0.7°C between 1890 and 2004. More than half of that increase - or 0.42°C - has taken place since 1980
* Six of the ten warmest years in Ireland have occurred since 1995 - the last decade has been the warmest on record and last year was the second warmest year on record.
The Programme for Government emphasises the Government's commitment to take the necessary action. In addition to the full implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy, the Government intends to agree an all-party approach on climate change targets - and, in advance of this, to set a challenging target of a 3% reduction per year, on average, in our greenhouse gas emissions.
"The measures in the Programme for Government are comprehensive, but will take time to be fully effective. Meanwhile, compliance with our Kyoto target will be measured over the 2008-2012 period and our starting position is that we're more than 10% above the target level of emissions. While carbon credits are a second-best solution, they do have a role to play and, along with most other EU Member States, we will have to avail of them.
"My absolute priority will be to ensure that we meet our Kyoto target - failure to do so would seriously damage the post-2012 agenda and undermine our credibility as a nation committed to sustainable development. That said, in meeting our target, I will be aiming to maximise the introduction of measures further, to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions and minimise the requirement to supplement domestic action through the purchase of credits.
"The more we can achieve in terms of transition to a low-carbon society in the Kyoto Protocol period, the better prepared we will be to manage the more demanding agenda in the period to 2020 and beyond."
Following this year's Spring meeting of the European Council, the EU sent a strong signal on its expectations of a post-2012 agreement. Using 1990 as the base year, Heads of State and Government agreed to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 20% by 2020. They also signalled a willingness to reduce emissions even further - up to 30% - if other developed countries committed themselves to comparable emission reductions and economically more-advanced developing countries contributed to the process in terms compatible with their responsibilities and respective capabilities.
On the issue of awareness, the Government has preparing a major national climate change campaign, which has just gone out to tender. A budget of €15 million over 5 years has been earmarked for the project.
"Climate change is not something the Government - or the Green Party - can be left to tackle alone. It is not down to business, to farmers, to commuters or any specific sector - that is the challenge. It is down to every individual to play their part, to take action, to become part of the solution" - concluded the Minister.
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