Irish government says forest carbon sinks should be offset

July 23rd 2010

An Irish government committee report has concluded that the European Union should agree for forest carbon sinks to be used to offset non-Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) emissions in the country.

The report was compiled by the government’s Joint Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food and the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security with regard to the EU Commission’s Green Paper on Protecting Europe’s Forests Against Climate Change.

It stated that land use, farming and forestry all form a part of Ireland’s climate equation and found that this should be recognised with regard to CAP reform and EU Forestry Policy post 2013, especially when it comes to climate change strategy.

Author of the report and TD, Andrew Doyle, commented: “For Ireland to meet its climate change obligations it is essential that its forestry sector is part of any solution.”

He bemoaned what he sees as the absence of any assessment in the EU Green Paper regarding the potential for increased afforestation in the context of climate change and pointed out that the EU has policy competence regarding the inclusion of forest carbon sinks and can determine their financing.

“There is now a much better appreciation that forest sinks should have a greater contribution as regards national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, “ he stated.