Transport emissions February 2008

Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas emissions fell by 0.8 per cent in 2006, as compared to 2005, figures recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirm.
At a salutary glance that should spell good news for the country, but a deeper examination of the figures show Ireland is a long way off meeting its targets under the now infamous Kyoto Protocol.

Ireland’s Kyoto target in the period 2008-2012 is 62.84 million tonnes per annum. Ireland’s emissions in 2006 of 69.77 million tonnes were almost seven million tonnes above this limit.
The EPA compiles Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas emission estimates annually. The 2006 figures have been submitted to the European Commission and will remain provisional until March 2008.
Commenting on the figures Dr Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA said: “While the figures are encouraging, and the reduction of 0.8% is most welcome, the remaining distance to our Kyoto target is substantial and shows that we continue to face a very major challenge. Reducing emissions in a growing economy will require a major effort on all our parts.”

Transport figures remain particularly worrying, according to the EPA. In 2006, the transport sector increased by 5.2 per cent on 2005, similar previous sector increases over recent years. The EPA says major efforts will be required to halt and reverse this trend and that the rise of transport emissions was by far the largest in any sector in 2006 and reflected a 165 per cent increase on 1990 figures.
Transport emissions made up almost 20 per cent of the 2006 total, most of which were generated by road transport (97%). The increase reflects increasing vehicle numbers, a trend towards purchasing larger vehicles, an increased reliance on private cars and increasing road freight transport.

Agriculture emissions continued to decrease in 2006 (by 1.4 per cent), reflecting lower livestock numbers and decreased fertilizer use. However agriculture remains the single largest contributor to overall emissions at almost 28 per cent.
The data released by the EPA includes trends since 1990 and show Ireland’s status in meeting its target set under the Kyoto Protocol. Commenting on whether Ireland can reach its Kyoto target by 2012, Dr Kelly said: “The Kyoto target will be met by a combination of domestic actions with some purchase of carbon credits as allowed for under the Kyoto Protocol and provided for in Ireland’s National Climate Change Strategy. The figures show that the Government’s target of 3% annual reductions in emissions over the next 5 years will be extremely challenging and further emphasises that actions to reduce domestic emissions must be intensified and strengthened. Greenhouse gases emitted now will remain in the atmosphere for many decades and affect the climate for centuries to come. Policy makers must use the detailed breakdown of figures in each sector, provided today, to focus on all areas where reductions are possible and need to be achieved.”

In the post-Kyoto period to 2020 emissions reductions in the order of 20 to 30 per cent on 1990 emissions are being proposed to avoid irreversible and damaging climate change. Europe is attempting to limit the inevitable global temperature increase to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Ireland needs to play its role in meeting this objective.
Supporters argue that bio-fuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because the plants they are made from absorb carbon dioxide from the air. But a number of studies have raised doubts about the green credentials of many of the leading candidates, such as palm oil and ethanol made from corn.

However, critics say bio-fuels compete for land with staple food crops, and vast areas of rainforest are cleared to grow them.
Bio-fuels had been seen as the great hope for the road transport sector, but Ireland will now have to re-think its policy, following an embarrassing U turn, by the European Union, when it said recently that it would have to review its plan to have 10% of its transport fuel from bio-fuels by 2020 after warnings of huge social and environmental side effects.
Ireland and other EU member state leaders agreed late last year to have bio-fuels play a significant role in reducing CO2 emissions.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “We have seen that the environmental problems caused by bio-fuels and also the social problems are bigger than we thought they were. So we have to move very carefully.
“We have to have criteria for sustainability, including social and environmental issues, because there are some benefits from bio-fuels,” he commented.

“A scheme to certify that bio-fuels meet the necessary criteria would have to be introduced by the EU to ensure their use did not result in destruction of livelihoods or the environment, as is happening with palm oil in Indonesia,” he said.
Massive lobbying by the automotive industry, including truck makers, pushed bio-fuels forward as a way of reducing the emissions from transport, which account for a growing proportion of CO2 emissions throughout the world.
Germany, Italy and France pushed to ensure their car manufacturers would not be forced to take all the responsibility for creating engines and car design to meet the new greener standards.
Just before Christmas it was agreed that part of the reduction would be achieved by increasing the amount of bio-fuels that would be used by transport.

The EU agreed that the 10% target must be met, but there was no reference to standards on the social or human impact.
Dimas has said that such standards must be drawn up and adhered to and it is expected that they could be included in the legislation due to be published shortly.
With the US also agreeing to push bio-fuels, developing countries have rushed to fill the demand. Oxfam says an area more than 10 times the size of France could be in production of bio-fuels within 20 years in India, Brazil, southern Africa and Indonesia.
Europe has pledged that bio-fuels, such as bio-ethanol and bio-diesel, will make up 10% of transport fuel by 2020; Britain has a separate target of 5% bio-fuels in petrol and diesel by 2010.

Supporters argue that bio-fuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because the plants they are made from absorb carbon dioxide from the air. But a number of studies have raised doubts about the green credentials of many of the leading candidates, such as palm oil and ethanol made from corn.
However, critics say bio-fuels compete for land with staple food crops, and vast areas of rainforest are cleared to grow them.