Industries in the emissions trading sector are to be allowed to produce slightly more greenhouse gases between 2008 and 2012, but overall the State's emissions will fall because of reductions elsewhere, mainly in agriculture and in the domestic sector. Tim O'Brien reports.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency's national allocations plan submitted to the European Commission yesterday, the increased industrial output can be absorbed by reductions in the number of cattle on farms, better building practices and increased use of renewable energy in the domestic sector.
The Republic's Kyoto target is to keep environmentally harmful carbon emissions to an average of 13 per cent above the 1990 base year level, from 2008 to 2012.
In 2004, the last year for which data is available, emissions were 23 per cent above base year emissions.
Despite the high levels, however, the EPA's Dr Padraic Larkin said it was still possible to achieve the Kyoto targets.
"It should be remembered," Dr Larkin said, "that the emissions trading sector represents just about one-third of our total emissions."
Declining cattle numbers due to "decoupling" in agriculture would have a big impact on overall emissions, while energy certification for new buildings and the increased use of renewable energy for heating and electricity generation would all play a part.
Dr Larkin said the EPA had made allowances for just 88 per cent of the expected emissions from the industry trading sector, "allowing them the choice of buying new credits or reducing their carbon emissions.
"I think any business will look at it and see that doing the right thing is the best option."
More than 100 major industrial and institutional sites in Ireland are covered by the emissions trading scheme.
These include power generation, other combustion, cement, lime, glass and ceramic plants and oil refining.
Also included are large companies in food and drink, pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors, and a number of our larger institutions, such as universities.
Emissions are allocated on a "per site" basis by the EPA. However one company, Ecocem, a manufacturer of "green cement", which produces low carbon emissions, said it was considering a legal challenge to the scheme.
As the allowances could be sold on the trading market, giving some companies allowances and not others was to give a chosen few a commercial advantage, a spokesman claimed.
Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the EPA, said emissions trading was "a very important element of our national commitment to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in order to address the ever more serious global problem of climate change".
The European Commission has three months to examine national plans from the 25 EU member states following their submission, and may reject any aspect of a plan that it regards as incompatible with the directive.