Sustainable energy production and skilled workforce ‘key to recovery’

OUR cities must develop sustainable energy production and highly skilled workforces if the country is to succeed in achieving an economic recovery, the 6th Annual Environment Ireland Conference was told yesterday.

The event, the country’s largest gathering of delegates concerned with environmental policy and management, heard that while Ireland was until recently positioned within the top seven European countries in terms of wealth, Dublin was far down the table, in 21st position, in the “green index” of European cities.

Siemens Ireland spokesman Domhnall Carroll outlined where Dublin scored on a number of environmental indicators. The city did best in relation to air quality and Mr Carroll said this was related to policy decisions in the 1980s to change to unleaded petrol and smokeless coal.