Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 1% in 2012 to 57.92
million tonnes, reversing a six year downward trend. This was primarily due to a 5.9% increase in emissions from power generation
using coal and peat, and a 3% increase from the agricultural sector due to
increased livestock numbers. Industrial
and commercial emissions rose by 1.8% overall, although the cement industry
alone showed a 18% increase in emissions as the economy begins to recover.
Transport, residential and waste emissions all fell by 3.5, 5.9 and 2.7%
respectively. The reduction in residential emissions is thought to be due to
the mild winter while the reduction in waste emissions is due to a 11.7%
reduction in methane emissions from landfill sites.
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| EPA emissions by category 1990-2012. Image. |
The EPA has blamed low carbon
prices for the increased use of peat and coal for electricity generation and has called for the decoupling of carbon
emissions from economic growth.
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