Emissions of carbon dioxide CO 2 from industry have increased by 20 per cent since 1994, with the cement industry a major source, an environmental conference has been told.
CO 2 is one of a number of gases which contribute to global warming. However, levels of other industrial pollutants have been significantly reduced, according to Dr Peter Clinch of the Department of Environment Studies at UCD.
He noted Integrated Pollution Control licences (IPCs) granted to industry to control pollution - first issued in 1994 by the Environmental Protection Agency - establish limits on pollution emission - but these do not cover CO 2 emissions, which were seen as a global issue.
Dr Clinch said the cement and ammonia industries were exceptions to the significant overall reduction in the level of industrial pollutants emitted in the State. The cement industry produces almost 2.5 per cent of all greenhouse gases. The ammonia industry also produces almost 2.5 per cent.
His study of the IPC licensing found "environmental performance in industry has been surprisingly good, given the huge increase in output". This is due to the shift away from heavy polluting industries and increased regulation.
Dr Clinch was speaking at a conference in UCD to assess the State's environmental and developmental performance some 10 years after the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.
Mr Iain MacLean, director of IPC licensing with the EPA, said about 550 licences have been issued. There were more than 1,700 complaints in 1999, and this trends seems to have continued into 2000. As the number of licences issued increases, the amount of complaints received by IPC premises has fallen by 50 per cent, said Mr MacLean.