Press Release: Environment  16 May 2006

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Dún Laoghaire, Environment, Justice and Latest Press Releases

Low cost of carbon credits hide need for reform says Green Party

 

News that Ireland has failed to keep its CO2 emissions below annual allowance levels, comes as no surprise says the Green Party. Yesterday the European Commission announced that Ireland was one of only six European countries who had breached its carbon allocation.

Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said: “I think yesterday’s announcement that Ireland’s CO2 emissions have not fallen came as a surprise to nobody. It is clear that this Government has decided not to tackle the issue of our greenhouse gas emissions before the next election. 

“The current low price of carbon credits is temporarily offering Ireland protection from the monetary effects of surpassing its emissions targets. However, while this situation insulates Ireland for the moment, carbon credits are unlikely to remain low in the medium term.

“To reduce our emissions we need much more public transport, more renewable energy supply and to construct more energy efficient homes. All these areas require long-term planning and investment. The longer we delay implementing these policies, the more costly it will be to reform.

“We have been calling for the publication of a new Climate Change Strategy for some time now, as the main policies and instruments in ‘The National Climate Change Strategy’ published in 2000, were never implemented.

“The Government needs to take a lead on CO2 emissions reduction. To date that leadership has been completely absent,” concluded Deputy Cuffe.