Vol. 510 No. 6
305 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on whether the use of emissions trading to comply with the Kyoto Protocol is acceptable and would result in richer countries continuing to emit large volumes of carbon dioxide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23523/99]
The Kyoto Protocol provides for a number of flexible mechanisms, including international emissions trading, to assist in reaching national targets. Negotiations on the rules, modalities and guidelines for the operation of the flexible mechanisms are ongoing, and it is expected these will be agreed at the sixth conference of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in The Hague at the end of 2000.
The Irish, and EU position is that domestic action should be the main means of achieving emissions targets and that the use of flexible mechanisms should be supplemental to domestic action. Ireland and the EU also consider that the trading of "hot-air" (i.e. national emissions in certain countries where the business as usual projections of emissions are below the permitted levels in the protocol) should not lead to overall emissions reductions being lower than would otherwise be the case.
