Sir, – We refer to Dale Crammond of Meat Industry Ireland’s article “Curtailing beef production wrong move when global demand rising” (July 23rd).
The article refers to Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and the methodology.
In particular, the article questions the metric (GWP100) used to calculate methane emissions from cattle.
The Environmental Protection Agency compiles greenhouse gas figures for Ireland, including for agriculture, according to standards and guidelines agreed internationally.
‘I feel like I’m in a war zone’: Hosting the Olympics is not all fun and games for Paris
Music festival tents: can you save money while saving the planet?
Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World by Anne Applebaum: Disturbing account of strongmen’s links
‘We are caring for your parents like they are our parents - but we can’t bring our families here’
Ireland’s figures are submitted on an annual basis to the European Union and the UN where they are reviewed and have been found to be transparent, consistent, comparable, complete and accurate.
The EU and internationally agreed rules ultimately determine how emissions are accounted.
The latest science and research are continually assessed and incorporated into these rules, as appropriate.
All sectors, including agriculture, need to significantly increase emission reductions. We need faster progress on the actions set out in national climate action plans to decarbonise and transform all sectors of Ireland’s economy, to stay within national carbon budgets and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent. – Yours, etc,
IAN BRUNSWICK,
Senior Communications Officer,
The Environmental
Protection Agency,
Dublin 14.