IRELAND:Ireland has the second highest rate of greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the EU so it will have to play a major role in reducing the overall EU emissions rate, according to environmental expert Dr Bert Metz.
Dr Metz, of the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency, co-chairs a working group in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was in Dublin to speak at the Environmental Protection Agency's climate change lecture series. He said Ireland's emission rate was surpassed only by Luxembourg, an unusual case because it is a small state with a steel industry. Luxembourg's high per capita emissions could also be explained by people from bordering countries buying fuel in Luxembourg because of lower fuel taxes.
According to the latest European Environmental Agency report on greenhouse gas emissions, Ireland's emission rate of 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita compares with a rate of 13.8 in Belgium and 10.9 in Britain.
Dr Metz said Ireland's high emissions rate could be explained by the economic development of the past 10-15 years and the increased emissions from the energy and transport sectors.
He said it was "very urgent" that global greenhouse gases be curbed within 10 years. "Given the legitimate needs of developing countries to improve the wellbeing of their people, industrialised countries have the responsibility to contribute most to technological development and emission reductions."
Dr Metz said Ireland would have to play a key role in reducing the EU emissions rate because of its own high emissions rate and its wealth.
He said global emissions could be brought back to current levels by 2030 if the various technologies were fully exploited.
Technology to capture carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel and store it safely underground would be standard practice within 20 years, he predicted.
He called on governments to lead the way in introducing measures to reduce emissions. Dr Metz said the IPCC had found that the cost of emission reductions was roughly the same as the cost of climate change impacts if these actions were not taken.
