Vol. 555 No. 1
318 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the countries or regions in Europe which are currently on target in terms of compliance with the guidelines set down in the Kyoto Protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17714/02]
The European Environment Agency Report Annual European Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2000 and Inventory Report 2002, which is available at http://themes.eea.eu.int/Environmentalissues/ climate/reports, outlines the levels of greenhouse gas emissions for the European Union, derived from national returns of such emissions, and serves as the annual submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. A further publication of the agency, Environment Signals 2002, presents information, inter alia, on climate change indicators and is available at the above website address.
Question No. 319 answered with Question No. 35.
320 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the extent to which his Department is in contact with the forestry authorities with a view to the encouragement of ozone friendly and efficient afforestation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17716/02]
I assure that the question relates to greenhouse gas friendly and efficient forestry.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, certain levels of carbon sequestration by forestry may be counted towards meeting Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions limitation target. In this context, the Government's national climate change strategy, published in November 2000, deals extensively with forestry as a carbon sink and enhancing its role in greenhouse gas sequestration. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is represented on the cross-departmental climate change team, chaired by my Department, which is co-ordinating implementation of the national climate change strategy and has regular contact with forestry authorities in this regard.
The progress report on implementation of the national climate change strategy, published in May 2002, provides information of activity under the national climate change strategy in the forestry sector to promote carbon sequestration.
