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Climate change report ‘greatest ever achievement’ by an Irish MEP (18/12/08)

December 18, 2008 at 6:27 pm Leave a comment

The contribution made by Ireland to major new EU legislation on climate change is being hailed as the most important work ever done by an Irish MEP. Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle drafted a key report on carbon emissions trading, which formed the lynchpin of a package of measures approved at the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week.
The overall goal of the climate change deal is to ensure that Europe reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent (compared to 1990 levels) by the year 2020. Ms Doyle’s report expands and gives a legal footing to the existing EU emissions trading system (ETS) in place since 2005. It establishes what is called a ‘cap and trade’ system, whereby a cap is placed on the overall level of emissions allowed in the EU, but participants are allowed to buy and sell carbon allowances within this limit. A major provision is the commitment to invest up to €9 billion helping power stations and industries capture and store their carbon emissions safely underground.
Some environmentalists have criticised what they see as concessions made to industry in the climate change deal, but speaking from Strasbourg, Ms Doyle says it represents a ‘balanced outcome between environmental integrity and a level playing field for European industry’. ‘Of course this is not the last word,’ she said, ‘but as it stands this is the best emissions trading system in the world because it is the only one. We have been the pilot project for the rest of the world.’ The EU will bring the overall package to the UN climate change convention in Copenhagen next December, as part of its effort to get international agreement on the need to limit the global rise in temperature to 2 degrees Celsius.
37 per cent of Ireland’s emissions come from agriculture (mainly cattle and sheep) – by far the highest proportion of any EU country. However this is expected to reduce naturally by up to 10 per cent over the next few years as farmers move out of beef herds and forestry soaks up excess carbon. Ireland East MEP Mairead McGuinness has warned that any undue targeting of agriculture under the climate change deal could reduce food production. She has called for back-up support and advice for farmers on the best measures they can use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ‘Farmers need to be seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem,’ she said.

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