An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland – expressed concern at today’s release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) report showing that greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1% in 2012. To counter this, An Taisce calls on the government to deliver a strong Climate Change Bill with binding targets and to re-evaluate the sustainability of Food Harvest 2020.
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions were shown to have increased by 0.58 million tonnes in 2012 to 57.92 million tonnes compared to 2011 according to the latest figures released by the EPA.
The report showed that agriculture remains the single largest contributor to overall emissions, with 32.1% of the total, followed by energy and transport, with 21.9% and 18.8% respectively.
David Garvey, agri-environment officer with An Taisce, commented “The recent Food Harvest 2020 Environmental Analysis Report already predicts a failure by the government to meet its emissions targets under the EU Climate Change and Renewable Energy Package. Indeed the report predicts an increase in greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture of 8.5% by 2020 in comparison with the base period of 2007-20092”.
Garvey further stated “This planned increase in emissions makes a nonsense of the Government’s pledge to meet the commitments set out in the Climate Change and Renewable Energy Package, which will require a reduction of 20% of agricultural and transport emissions by 2020 compared with 2005 levels.”
This is all the more startling given that scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have just warned with more certainty than ever before of the risks that climate change pose to the environment and food security.
The above information has been taken from An Taisce press release.
