Ireland fails to meet greenhouse gas obligations

IRELAND has one of the worst records in the EU for implementing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997.

A major report by the European Environmental Agency ranks Ireland as the second-worst offender after Spain within the EU in meeting its targets to reduce the threat posed by such gases to the ozone layer.

Even though Ireland is allowed to increase its emission levels by 13%, unlike many other EU countries which much reduce their levels, the EEA report found that Ireland is still way behind in its efforts to achieve this rate by its target date of 2010. Ireland's emission levels in 2001 were 31% higher than in 1990 more than double the increase it is allowed.