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Time to get serious about tackling our carbon emissions
THE time for merely paying lip service to the problem of global warming and the climate change caused by it has long passed and is something that needs to be taken seriously and acted upon once and for all. Carbon emissions are at the heart of the problem and a united front is needed internationally to tackle the problem in a structured fashion.
When Green Party leader, Mr. John Gormley, TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, recently described climate change as ‘the most fundamental and far-reaching challenge facing humanity,’ he was not exaggerating and his words need to be taken seriously and responded to with actions designed to reduce our carbon footprint and to encourage others to play their part too, because it is a global problem and, if it is not resolutely tackled, the people who will ultimately suffer the most are the poorest of the poor – innocent victims of the uncaring actions of people in the developed world.
As with charity, action should begin at home regarding the reduction of our carbon footprint and Minister Gormley must be complimented on the initiative he launched last week to encourage people to pledge that they would reduce their own carbon emissions in their home and/or workplace by 10% in 2010 in support of the government’s aims in that regard. To help do this, he launched a website called www.1010.ie on which people can sign up to the initiative and, while it is purely voluntary, the public should think seriously about signing up in order to become and to be able to feel part of the huge national and international effort that is needed to even begin to address the causes of climate change.
The launch coincided with the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s report, entitled ‘A Summary of the State of Knowledge on Climate Change Impacts for Ireland.’ This was timely in the context of the government’s preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference that is taking place in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18 next to agree a new international deal on carbon emissions to come into force in 2012 after the Kyoto Protocol expires.
On average in Europe we each generate 8.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Individuals, householders, communities and business can easily reduce carbon emissions with small changes that really can make a difference, such as walking, cycling and using public transport where possible, although this is easier said than done in rural areas, where people have to make longer journeys in areas that are poorly served by public transport.
However, people can also contribute to reducing their carbon emissions in other ways, such as changing to low-energy light bulbs and ensuring that heat is not being lost through draughty windows and doors. As well as helping to tackle climate change, such action can also save you money too.
The EPA report assessing how climate change has impacted on Ireland and how it is likely to do so in the future confirms much of what we already know and that actions are required to reduce the adverse consequences of these impacts. By summarising where we are at (not very far, it would seem) in this regard, it is at least a first step in the development of a planned climate information system for Ireland which would provide information to key users across all sectors and is envisaged as a vital element in our strategy to adapt to climate change.
Certainly, it will have been a worthwhile effort if it can provide the means to measure our progress accurately on an annualised basis – rather than going with longer-term goals such as reducing our carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 and then finding in 2019 that we had only achieved a fraction of it. Like with someone losing weight, smaller short-term realistic targets on an ongoing basis are better, based on lifestyle changes rather than crash diets, so that is why we need to start with the basics at home.
It is good to note that a wide range of Non-Governmental Organisations is involved in the work on climate change with the EPA, who collaborated with Met Eireann and the Marine Institute among other groups, including leading academics working in this area such as the NUI Maynooth Icarus group and Coastal and Marine Resources Centre in University College Cork, as well as organizations such as the Friends of the Irish Environment.
Also last weekend, following the completion of 1,500 small business energy assessments nationwide over the past two years, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) concluded that the average small business could save 10 to 20% each year on their energy bills through simple actions to reduce costs. The study has given SEI the most comprehensive knowledge available of the energy practices and challenges facing Irish small businesses today and this will feed into efforts to reduce carbon emissions by promoting less unnecessary consumption of energy.
SEI is offering all Irish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to avail of its free energy assessments and, according to its head of strategy, Brian Motherway, ‘every business is crying out for cost reductions and the good news is that they are there for the taking. This isn’t pie in the sky stuff.’ This should nicely complement Minister Gormley’s campaign to get people to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% during 2010.
Another incentive to do so, albeit less-palatable, will be provided by the carbon tax that is to be introduced in the budget next month. Since this was first mooted in 2000, ironically not by the Green Party, but by Fianna Fáil minister Noel Dempsey, there has been much talk about it, but no action, with carbon emissions increasing all the while during the economic boom.
It is one of the central planks of the latest programme for government agreed between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, with the latter obtaining a commitment that all revenue raised through the carbon tax will be spent only on initiatives aimed as reducing our carbon emissions, making the tax become what Minister Gormley described as ‘revenue-neutral.’ This is certainly good news for the environment, given that a large proportion of the rest of our taxes will have to be spent on servicing the massive loans we have had to take out in order to keep the country financially afloat in the wake of our economic collapse.
We should –with the help also of the country’s next generation – manage to get our economy back on an even keel within the next ten years or so, however climate change is one thing we will not be able to reverse and the second decade of the 21st century, which we are about to enter, will provide the crucial test of how we deal with reducing our carbon emissions. While we can do our bit, other countries need to be brought around to the same way of thinking and doing and the European Union (EU) has an important part to play in this process, along with United States President Barack Obama.
Minister Gormley has been involved with the EU Environment Council in deciding the key elements of the EU’s negotiating position for next month’s climate conference in Copenhagen and he reiterated that: ‘It is important that the EU maintains its lead position in the run-up to Copenhagen and that leadership is kept on track.’
Realistic targets that are capable of being met need to be set in Copenhagen and, despite the constraints of the worldwide economic slump, the developed world needs to subsidise emerging economies so that they can make their mark with cleaner, greener technologies and avoid making the same mistakes that led to the rape of the environment purely for commercial gain. The stark new realities have to be acknowledged and acted upon for the greater good.
Professor Frank Convery, chairman of Comhar, the Sustainable Development Council, in proposing their ‘Green New Deal,’ sees an economic potential in this regard by urging the government to provide some public finance (a suggested 2% of GDP) as a stimulus to leverage private finance to invest in the measures needed to help cut our carbon emissions. He feels that this would be turning adversity into opportunity and would ultimately be a win-win scenario for all concerned.
Indeed, Prof. Convery pointed out, in no uncertain terms: ‘We have to change our ways: the choice is whether we do so strategically to gain maximum economic, social and environmental benefits or whether we wait until the 11th hour and meet our obligations in a reactive way that costs more and delivers fewer benefits.’