Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
51. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the progress being made towards the rewetting of industrial bogs and the restoration of peatlands, creation of a carbon sink to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40820/21]
View answer104. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the progress by the State for rewetting of industrial bogs and the restoration of peatlands, creation of a carbon sink to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40779/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 104 together.
The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation ((EU) 2018/841) will apply a new EU land-use accounting system for land-use from 2021. Under the new system, emissions and removals will be assessed over two consecutive accounting periods, the first from 2021 to 2025, and the second from 2026 to 2030.
The impact of emissions and removals from five out of six land use sectors will be included in the new system from 2021 (Managed Cropland, Managed Grassland, Afforestation, Deforestation, and Managed Forests), with Member States having the option to include the impact of the sixth, Managed Wetlands, in this first period. Ireland has opted to include the impact of Managed Wetlands on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the beginning of 2021. This voluntary accounting puts Ireland on a stronger footing for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and removals and in making the strategic changes required to support the country to meet our national, European and international climate change targets.
Although land has the potential to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, Ireland is currently a net-emitter from land-use activities, with the EPA reporting net-emissions of 4.8MtCO2eq. in 2018. Wetlands contributed to this position through net-emissions of 2.5MtCO2eq.. Almost all peatlands in Ireland have been modified to some degree and require some level of management, either to prevent further degradation or to improve and enhance their condition.
Factors which will support a reduction of the net emissions from wetlands include:
- a reduction in peat extraction activity, for example, through the recent cessation of peat harvesting by Bord Na Móna; and
- the restoration and rehabilitation activities planned under the Bord na Móna Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme and other schemes led by the National Parks and Wildlife Services. These schemes represent an opportunity to reduce, and over time, reverse the emissions of greenhouse gases, restore the wetlands to a carbon sink, enhance their biological diversity and water management capacity, as well as providing for a just transition for the Midlands region.
In addition to schemes to rehabilitate wetlands and to assist in the delivery of our climate ambitions, the Programme for Government has committed to a national land use review. My Department, together with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are evaluating the potential climate contributions from land use improvements, to develop a land-use strategy. Land-use offers significant potential to sequester additional carbon and may provide a new source of family farm income and rural economic benefit.
