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Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change
29
The EPA itself is funding climate
change research which is directed
at addressing specific knowledge
gaps of direct relevance to the
National Climate Change Strategy.
The first call for research proposals
was announced in June 2007.
In the period 2007–2011, grant
awards totalling €19m were made
to a range of projects and fellowships
on air and climate issues.
This programme is advanced via
thematic research areas that support
key elements of national actions on
mitigation, adaptation and longer
term strategic development:
Theme 1: Greenhouse Gas
Emissions, Sinks and
Management Systems
Work in this area has been
instrumental in improving the
national GHG inventory to ensure
that data provided reflect conditions
and activities in Ireland rather than
regional or global default data and
analysis. This work is highly focused
on reducing uncertainties in the
national inventory, many of which
occur in the agriculture and land-
use sectors, and identification of
GHG mitigation and management
options that can be accounted in the
UNFCCC and EU systems.
Theme 2: Ireland and Future
Climate, Impacts and Adaptation
Research in this area is focused on
understanding how Ireland will
experience climate change and
enabling society and vulnerable
sectors to adapt to anticipated
impacts. This involves a range of
activities from climate modelling to
impacts analysis and provision of
climate information services.
Theme 3: Socio-economic and
Technological Climate Solutions
and Transition Management
This area is focused on longer term
issues and has a goal to identify
pathways for achievement of a
carbon-neutral Ireland by 2050.
Research in this area has progressed
the analysis of energy demand to
2050, and provided initial options
to meet major emissions reductions
requirements.
Reports published in each of the
thematic areas are available for
download from the EPA website.
Outlook
The future development of actions
on climate change in Ireland needs to
be aligned with developments within
the UNFCCC and EU and to take
account of:
n
Ireland’s current emissions
profile and projections of future
emissions based on socio-
economic and sectoral analysis
to 2020 and up to 2050
n
projections of future climate
conditions and analysis of
ongoing changes associated
with climate change
n
opportunities for sustainable
development and economic
growth that will arise from
global actions to address climate
change.
The analysis of Ireland’s emissions
over the full Kyoto period (2008–
2012) will not be completed until
2015 when compliance will be
fully assessed at EU and UN levels.
However, interim analysis and
projections for this period indicates
that Ireland will comply with its
Kyoto obligations, without a
requirement for any further purchase
of credits. This is as a direct result of
the current economic recession and
economic outlook in the short term.
2013 will see the commencement
of the second Kyoto Protocol
Commitment period and the first
year of compliance with emissions
targets established under the EU
2008 Climate and Energy Package.
The EU 2008 Climate and Energy
Package commits its Member States
to an overall reduction of GHG
emissions by 20% by 2020 relative
to 1990 emissions levels. The EU
has also committed to raise this
to a 30% emission reduction in
the context of a global agreement
involving comparable effort by other
developed countries and major
emitters.