emissions | Verde - Complete Environmental Solutions

Ireland forced to strengthen climate plan

The Irish government has been ordered to take more aggressive action on climate change, following a ruling by the country’s top judges. In a judgment published on 31st July 2020, the supreme court said Ireland’s existing emission cutting plans fell “well short” of what was required to meet its climate commitments and must be replaced with a more ambitious strategy. Judges ruled the governm...
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Emissions of most harmful air pollutants dropped in 2018 – EEA Report

Emissions of the five most harmful air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3) reduced across the European Union between 2017 and 2018 according to updated data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The data is from the annual EU emission inventory report sent to the UNECE Air Convention (Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air ...
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Global energy emissions ‘flatlined’ in 2019, new data

Global energy-related emissions flatlined in 2019, new data released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates. The Agency found that power sector emissions have declined to levels last seen in the 1980s, although 33 gigatonnes of emission were sent into the atmosphere over the course of last year. The IEA study cites the reduced use of coal as one of the main drivers of the flatline, w...
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EPA licensed industrial and waste sites enforcement data findings – overall good compliance

The EPA commenced the publication of key data on industrial and waste licence enforcement today on the EPA website. The data gives details of compliance levels and enforcement activities across the 833 licensed facilities in 2019. The EPA will publish the data on its website on a quarterly basis, providing enforcement information in a timely manner for the public. Commenting on the publication,...
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Local authorities identify key ways to help reduce carbon emissions

All 31 local authorities in Ireland are gearing up to play a leading role in reducing carbon emissions and helping the country adapt for the inevitable consequences of climate disruption, especially extreme weather events, according to Sligo County Council chief executive Ciarán Hayes. Commenting on a report issued on Tuesday outlining how local authorities have increased climate actions since 201...
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PFAS pollution widespread in Europe

The EEA briefing ‘Emerging chemical risks in Europe — PFAS’ presents an overview of the known and potential risks to human health and the environment in Europe posed by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). These extremely persistent and man-made chemicals are used in a variety of consumer products and industrial applications because of their unique properties, for example, to increase...
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World heading for a 3.2°C temp rise – UN Emissions Gap Report

On the eve of a year in which nations are due to strengthen their Paris climate pledges, a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report warns that unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 per cent each year between 2020 and 2030, the world will miss the opportunity to get on track towards the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. UNEP’s annual Emissions Gap Report say...
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Climate Action Plan 2019 – What is its Impact on Real Estate?

The Irish government has released a Climate Action Plan for 2019, which includes targets and measures for reducing greenhouse gases in the real estate sector. This article assesses those targets and how the government proposes to meet them and how they will affect the built environment in Ireland. Retro fitting The government aims to retrofit 500,000 existing properties by 2030 by replacing oil ...
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Ireland exceeds annual EU emissions budget – EPA data

Ireland exceeded its annual EU emissions budget by over five million tonnes last year, new data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals. Provisional data released by the environmental watchdog shows that our overall emissions dropped by just 0.2 per cent in 2018 to 60.5 million tonnes, leaving us well off track to meet our 2020 climate targets. This is the third year in a...
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Agri–Environment Conference focuses on biodiversity, water quality and reducing emissions

Agriculture is currently facing a number of environmental challenges relating to biodiversity, water quality and reducing both greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. That was the clear message at the National Agri–Environment conference, organised by Teagasc, which took place in Tullamore, County Offaly, last week. Pat Murphy, Head of the Teagasc Environment Knowledge Transfer Depa...
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