New climate report highlights need to drastically reduce methane emissions
CO2 concentrations are at their highest levels in two million years, according to a new report. File Picture.
Cutting methane, which is produced by oil and gas drilling and agriculture, particularly livestock farming, could help to stall rising temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said in its latest report Climate Change 2021.
The report also revealed that carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions must be reduced in order to alleviate the damage that is being caused to the earth and that CO2 concentrations are at their highest levels in two million years.
Already, greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are high enough to guarantee climate disruption for decades if not centuries, scientists have warned.
And on top of that, deadly heat waves, gargantuan hurricanes and other weather extremes happening now, and are likely to become more severe.
Describing the report as a "code red for humanity", UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged an end to the use of coal and other highly polluting fossil fuels.
“The alarm bells are deafening,” Mr Guterres said.
“This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet.”
The report also comes just one week after the Irish Government published an ambitious and innovative roadmap for the agri-food sector - Food Vision 2030 - which is focused on increasing exports from €14bn to €21bn by 2030.
The vision is for Ireland to become a world leader in sustainable food systems over the next decade delivering benefits for the sector, for society and the environment.
It sets out four high-level missions to fulfil this ambition that include a climate-smart, environmentally sustainable agri-food sector; viable and resilient primary producers, with enhanced wellbeing; food that is safe, nutritious and appealing, trusted and valued at home and overseas; becoming an innovative, competitive and resilient sector, driven by technology and talent.
Ireland’s leading coalition of environmental groups - Environmental Pillar - pulled out of strategy discussions after describing it as “woefully inadequate to meet the social and environmental challenges we face”.
It pointed out that agriculture is Ireland’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for well over a third of total emissions and was the leading cause of water pollution in Ireland.
The group also highlighted how farming intensification has led to a catastrophic decline in farmland birds with no sign of population recovery in sight.
“While there are promising initiatives for biodiversity like the Curlew and Hen Harrier European Innovation Partnerships, agricultural policy is largely working against the environment instead of with it, and society is paying the price,” it said in a statement.
“Farmers have been time and time again let down by past intensification-driven agriculture strategies, and have said so themselves.
“The Strategy also relies heavily on the inadequate AgClimatise roadmap to reduce emissions for the sector, which we and other experts have found to be woefully insufficient.
“It also enshrines an inadequate target for reducing human health and ecosystem harming ammonia emissions; perpetuates our reliance on afforestation targets despite the fact that they have been declining year-on-year; and makes no mention of necessary harvesting limitations for our forestry sector.”
Meanwhile, scientists who worked on the IPCC report say current pledges of action on emissions put the world on a pathway that could lead to 2.7C of warming by the late 21st century – or higher if the pledges were not delivered on.
Research conducted by mapping and data consultants last year indicated that more than 62,000 Irish homes are at risk from coastal flooding by 2050 due to climate change, with Dublin, Louth, Clare, Limerick, and Galway considered the most at risk.
More than 21,000 homes and almost 2,000 businesses are at risk in the capital alone.
The report also comes just three months before a major UN climate conference known as COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, where nations will be under pressure to pledge much more ambitious climate action, and substantial financing to go with it.
