Ireland needs to introduce significant measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 if it is to meet its obligations agreed under the Kyoto protocol on climate change.
Publishing the Environmental Accounts for Ireland 1996-2003, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) found that emissions had increased by 25 per cent since 1990, the year used as a base for the purposes of the Kyoto protocol.
At Kyoto, EU member states agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU as a whole to 8 per cent below 1990 levels from 2008 to 2012. Ireland's contribution is a target of 13 per cent increase above 1990 levels.
"Clearly, as identified in the National Climate Change Strategy (October 2000), significant remedial measures are required to meet our commitment under the Kyoto protocol," the CSO report says.
Overall, greenhouse gas emissions rose considerably between 1996 and 2000, although the share of emissions has shifted away from industrial, residential and agricultural sectors towards the transport and services sectors.
The CSO says the sustained growth of the economy is the main reason for the rise in consumption of raw materials and energy, with its knock-on effects on the environment.
Ireland's GDP grew from €56.6 billion in 1996 to €97.8 billion in 2003, while primary energy requirements rose by more than a quarter, household and commercial waste increased by two-thirds and greenhouse gas emissions went up by 12 per cent.
"The increase in the use of natural resources can be gauged by the expansion in the area of land used for construction and the increase in both energy consumption and raw materials inputs," the CSO says. "The ensuing increases in emissions of greenhouse gases put further pressure on the environment."
Ireland is also committed to reducing the emissions of acid rain precursor air pollutants including ammonia and sulphur dioxide by 2010 under the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol.
The report also found that while there were reductions in the overall levels of pollutants, much was left to do if Gothenburg commitments were to be met.