Ministers’ air travel emissions to be offset by projects

THE Government will offset all emissions from air travel involving ministers and public servants.

The policy was announced last night by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in his opening by address to the Fianna Fáil ard fheis in Citywest, Dublin — the last conference the party will hold before the general election and considered the final chance to rally troops.

In a clear effort to capture some of the green vote, Mr Ahern concentrated his remarks on the environment, telling delegates: “There is no greater challenge for our country and the world than protecting our environment and dealing urgently with the challenge of climate change.”

He said Environment Minister Dick Roche would publish an ambitious climate change strategy within the next fortnight, and announced five initiatives that strategy would include.

Firstly, every department and public service organisation will be instructed to produce a detailed carbon footprint — a measure of the effect the organisation’s activities have on the environment in terms of greenhouse gases they produce.

Secondly, every public service organisation will then be required to specify targets for reducing their emissions and for reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

Thirdly, all air travel involving ministers or public servants will be “offset”. This means that the State will fund projects to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by the same amount that the air travel adds.

“Funding in particular will go into urban forest schemes to enhance towns and cities,” Mr Ahern said.

Fourthly, every public service organisation which operates a vehicle fleet will be required to publish proposals for reducing emissions.

Finally, all departments and agencies will switch to energy-efficient light bulbs by the end of the year — a change which Mr Ahern said could save more than 5% of the electricity used by the public service.

The Taoiseach said the country’s economic growth could not be sustained unless the environment was protected — a message more akin to that which the Green Party has been spreading in recent years.

But Mr Ahern, briefly going off script, insisted it was other parties with “airy fairy ways” which were “robbing Fianna Fáil ideas and putting their names on them.”

The nature of the speech suggests concern on his part about the Green Party increasing its support at Fianna Fáil’s expense.

A poll conducted for the Irish Daily Star this week showed that the Green Party’s support in the key Dublin constituencies had risen by five points to 13% since the 2002 general election, while Fianna Fáil’s had slipped five points to 32%.

The ard fheis will continue today, culminating in Mr Ahern’s keynote address at 8.30pm, which will be televised live on RTÉ 1.