THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday said that a decrease of almost 500,000 tonnes in greenhouse emissions during 2007 represented a very encouraging trend.
The agency yesterday published its provisional figures for 2007 which showed that emissions had fallen to 69.28 million tonnes last year. However, the figures are still some 6.5 million tonnes (10.2 per cent) above Ireland's Kyoto limit of just below 63 million tonnes.
Yesterday's figures were identical to the carbon statement published by Minister for the Environment John Gormley as part of his carbon budget, except for the exclusion from the EPA statistics of carbon sinks (bogs and forests that contribute to reductions in carbon emissions).
Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the EPA, said that while the figures were encouraging, the distance to Ireland's Kyoto target remained very substantial.
"We continue to face a very major challenge. The Kyoto limit 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 also show that the Government's target of 3 per cent annual reductions in emissions remains extremely challenging and further emphasises that actions to reduce domestic emissions must be intensified and strengthened."
The EPA said agriculture emissions continued a downward trend with reductions of 740,000 tonnes (3.8 per cent lower than in 2006). "This is mainly attributable to lower sheep and cattle numbers, coupled with reduced fertiliser use," the report stated.