Committee to look at ways of cutting gas emissions

The Government is to set up a technical committee to examine how industry might best achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The committee, which will include officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Environment and experts from the civil and public service, will examine how industries may reduce emissions in line with Ireland's targets under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

The committee will examine processes in the transport, energy, agriculture, waste-management and residential sectors to see how emissions might be lowered.

News of the committee was revealed to the Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change yesterday by the director general of the EPA, Dr Mary Kelly. Dr Kelly told the members that under the current emissions-trading scheme an overall national quota of emissions was set by Government. From this quota the EPA allocated emission levels to individual installations, such as manufacturers, power-generators or cement-makers.

However, she said in certain instances industries had found difficulties in their processes which would benefit from the scientific advice of the proposed technical committee.

The committee would also benefit from knowledge of international experience in the area.

Asked if there was any "political input" into which industries or individual installations were allocated quotas under the emissions-trading scheme, Dr Kelly said the only political guidance was that given by Government.

In the past she said this had been to provide some lassitude for the power-generation and cement-making sectors. "That was the only kind of political process involved. I have to assume it was informed by experts."

It was important to differentiate between the emissions-trading scheme which applied to about 100 plants in the State, and the need to reduce emissions generally "which applies across the board".