Greenhouse gas surge distorted, says Government

The Government says European figures showing that Irish greenhouse gas emissions surged late last year while falling throughout the European Union could be distorted.

Figures from Eurostat show Irish emissions rose 12.3 per cent in the final three months of last year. Across the EU as a whole they tumbled 4 per cent over the same period in 2021 to 938 million tonnes.

Eurostat’s latest report says emissions fell in 23 member countries but rose in four, led by the Republic. Latvia, where they rose 6.8 per cent was next, followed by Malta on 6.4 per cent and Denmark, whose greenhouse gas output climbed 1.9 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, argued that Eurostat – the EU’s statistical agency – was trying to estimate changes in greenhouse gas linked to economic growth, including growth in gross domestic product (GDP), which measures a country’s wealth.

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“However, using GDP as a measure can have a distorting effect in Ireland due to a large number of multinationals based here,” she said.

The spokeswoman added that Eurostat’s figures were in no way related to “real data from the Environmental Protection Agency which will be published in the near future”.

While EU emissions fell 4 per cent between October and December, compared with a year earlier, GDP climbed 1.5 per cent over the same time frame. Countries such as the Netherlands and Slovenia that cut their emissions sharply also grew their economies, said Eurostat.

Figures showing that the EU increased wealth while cutting greenhouse gas will be seen as positive for the bloc’s efforts to reduce by 55 per cent by the end of the decade.

They also add to evidence that the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hasn’t sparked a short-term increase. Emissions were 6 per cent down compared with pre-pandemic levels.

A Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications spokesman acknowledged that Eurostat’s data clearly reinforced the message that immediate action was needed on climate change and emissions.

“It also reinforces the need to cut the link between emissions and economic activity,” he said.

Across the bloc, emissions decreased in six out of nine sectors. The three exceptions were transportation and storage, services and mining.

Homes and manufacturers accounted for the biggest share of greenhouse gas emissions, each contributing 21 per cent of the total, although both reduced their output.

Emissions from electricity and gas supply fell close to 10 per cent, and the category accounted for one fifth of the total. A mild winter dented energy demand in much of the EU, contributing to subsequent falls in natural gas prices.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed 13 per cent of emissions, but also recorded a slide in total output.

The department noted that the Government was committed to addressing greenhouse gas emissions. Its spokesman pointed out that the Oireachtas had passed one of the world’s most ambitious climate laws while the State was mobilising the public and private sectors to cut emissions.

Previous reports have shown that the EU managed to cut its energy demand significantly over the winter. – Additional reporting: Bloomberg