Cows and cars hinder CO2 cuts

COWS and cars are Ireland’s biggest obstacle to achieving the 20% reduction in carbon emissions demanded by the European Commission according to Environment Minister John Gormley.

He was one of several ministers pushing the EU to become more flexible in the way countries achieve the new targets by 2020, saying mechanisms must not encourage food miles or have dirty fuel costing less than cleaner.

Mr Gormley also called for the EU to be more ambitious and cut emissions by 30%, as the union has already agreed to do provided the US and developing countries sign up.

“We have to go to 30% if we are to have a realistic chance of avoiding the crucial two-degree Celsius rise in temperature,” he said.

But while he denied that Ireland would fight to have its 20% target reduced he said that the country needed more flexibility in the way the reductions are achieved.

“Ireland has a huge challenge given the unprecedented growth over the past few years and while this has slowed somewhat, the upward trajectory of CO2 emissions is continuing,” he said.

There was no magic bullet he said; instead the reduction would have to be achieved through a series of measures.

Agriculture and especially emissions from cattle was a problem accounting for about 28% of all emissions in the country.

“If we are forced to reduce our agriculture there is a possibility that food will be produced elsewhere and you have food miles.

“This whole issue needs to be looked at,” said Mr Gormley.

Emissions from vehicles have grown by 180% since 1990 in Ireland, said Mr Gormley, the most of any country. Unless something was done to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads it would grow to 265% of the 1990 rate by 2020, he said.