The recession has taken its toll on Ireland’s transport emissions, with a fall of 10.1 per cent last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In its latest report on greenhouse gas emissions, it said this decrease reflected “the continued economic downturn and policies such as linking VRT and motor tax to carbon dioxide [CO2] emissions and the Biofuels Obligation Scheme.”
Emissions were also down in the waste sector, but other sectors - energy, agriculture, industry and residential - all registered increases, although the overall total fell by 0.69 million tonnes (1.1 per cent) to 61.64 million tonnes.
Agriculture - the single largest contributor to overall emissions, at 30.4 per cent of the total - was up by 0.2 per cent in 2010. The first rise in seven years, it resulted from increased fertiliser and gas and oil use, reflecting the “current strong performance” of the sector.
Emissions from the energy sector (principally electricity generation) increased by 1.9 per cent. This reflected a reduction in the share of renewables such as wind in 2010, which resulted in more electricity generation from coal and gas-fired power stations.
Residential emissions increased by 0.32 million tonnes (4.4 per cent) from the 2009 level. “This reflects an increase in fossil fuel use from households due to a considerably colder and longer heating season in 2010”, the EPA report commented.
Industry and commercial emissions went up by a marginal 0.1 million tonnes (1.1 per cent) in 2010, with a rise in CO2 emissions from the alumina industry “offset, to some extent, by the continuing decline in cement production”, it said.
Returns from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which covers major industry and energy producers, showed that emissions from the cement sector peaked in 2007 and have fallen by 55 per cent since then due to the downturn in construction.
Emissions from the waste sector fell by 0.07 million tonnes (6.9 per cent) compared to the 2009 level, reflecting increased methane use for electricity production.
Landfill gas utilisation and on-site flaring offset over 70 per cent of methane production in 2010.
Provisional greenhouse figures released today on trends since 1990, the base year for the UN’s Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, showed that Ireland’s transport emissions last year were still 131 per cent higher than they were in 1990.
Transport accounts for 19.1 per cent of overall emissions, which puts it in third place after agriculture (30.4 per cent) and energy (21.7 per cent). The remainder is made up by industry (14.9 per cent), residential (12.6 per cent and waste (1.5 per cent).
Based on the first three years of the Kyoto Protocol period, which ends in 2012, the EPA said Ireland “is on track to meet our Kyoto obligations when the impact of EU Emissions Trading Scheme and approved forest [carbon] sinks are taken into account”.
Last week, the agency published its allocations under the scheme for airlines operating into and out of Ireland from January 1st next, when aviation emissions are to be included. The top three were Ryanair (5.56 million tonnes), Aer Lingus (1.16) and CityJet (106,633).
Laura Burke, the EPA’s newly-appointed director-general, welcomed the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the transport sector. But she said new policies would be required to meet the “very stringent” EU targets for 2020.
Dr Eimear Cotter, senior manager at the EPA, said the increased emissions from the energy and industry sectors - despite the economy contracting in 2010 - “highlight the challenge we face in meeting our emission reduction targets” under the EU plan.
The EPA report is available online at epa.ie/downloads/pubs/air/airemissions/name,30829,en.html
