Council aims to reduce Dublin's carbon output

All Dublin's traffic lights are to be switched to energy efficient bulbs and cooking oil from restaurants is to be reused as biofuel as part of a new climate change strategy for Dublin.

Dublin City Council has developed its own climate change strategy which will run in tandem with the national strategy, but aims to achieve additional reductions in carbon emissions. The council intends to reduce energy use in the city by 3 per cent a year with a reduction of 33 per cent by 2020.

Carbon emissions produced by Dublin are actually lower than the national average, according to the council's figures for 2006.

Dublin city released approximately 4.32 million tonnes of CO2, which accounted for 9 per cent of the national emissions that year, while 12 per cent of the population lived in Dublin. Additionally, the average Dubliner releases 8.4 tonnes of CO2 a year, while the national average is 11.3 tonnes.

CO2 emissions from the city are divided between three sectors: commercial 37 per cent, residential 37 per cent, and transport 26 per cent.

The council plans to make improvements in both the commercial and residential construction sectors by only granting planning permission to energy-efficient buildings, both in relation to new buildings and alterations of existing structures.

New buildings must have a B1 energy efficiency rating from 2008 and an A3 rating from 2009.

It has already started a programme of replacing conventional bulbs in traffic lights to more energy-efficient LED lamps.

The council has saved 682 tonnes of CO2 a year by changing 3,000 lights and hopes to save 2,000 tonnes of CO2 a year when the changeover is complete in 2010.

The council is also using solar power to run its 900 parking meters.

The council is introducing an energy-efficient fleet of vehicles and it "will also demand these types of vehicles when procuring transportation services, taxis etc", the strategy states.

A travel policy will be introduced which will require staff travelling on behalf of the council to choose sustainable modes of transport. The council will also try to "influence the possibilities" of bringing bicycles on trains and buses.

The council is setting up a licensing system which will allow cooking oil from restaurants and hotels to be converted into biodiesel.

The waste-management programme will continue with biological treatment facilities and the expansion of the brown bin (for garden and food waste) service to householders with the aim of achieving 59 per cent recycling by 2013.

The council will also work to ensure the protection of nature sites.