asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if his attention has been drawn to reports and comments from Dr. Mostafa Tolba, Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme on the likely effects of synthetic fuels made from coal on the atmosphere, if he will comment on the likely effect from increased carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels particularly the "greenhouse effect" and if he will have a copy of Dr. Tolba's report placed in the Oireachtas Library.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Synthetic Fuels.
5.
I am advised that the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere which would follow the use of synthetic fuels made from coal has been the subject of much discussion among scientists for some years and that attempts are being made to correlate the result of the combustion of solid fuels with increases in the temperature of the earth's surface. The problem is enormously complex since the predictions of what will happen to the earth's temperature, should increased consumption of carbon-containing fuels occur, is not simply a matter of considering the enhanced absorption of radiation which would otherwise be lost to space—the greenhouse effect. The future behaviour of the carbon cycle—that is the processes by which carbon is exchanged between plant and animal life, the atmosphere, the oceans and the earth's crust—is not readily projected with present knowledge. The flexibility of the earth's ecosystem may well be sufficient to adjust to the increased burning of coal and coal-derived fuels which will take place. It should also be remembered that there is no inherent reason to assume that the atmospheric conditions in which we live are totally static and therefore it becomes a question of judgment as to what kind of changes are likely and how quickly they will happen.
In the face of such uncertainty the most appropriate policy appears to be to encourage the development of diverse sources of energy so that there is not over-dependence on fossil fuel combustion.
I will arrange to have a copy of the report placed in the Oireachtas Library as requested by the Deputy.
Has the Minister or his officials seen or read the report?
It appears that this matter, which deals exclusively with the environment, comes within the jurisdiction of the Minister for the Environment. In the short time since this question was put down neither my Department nor I have been able to obtain a copy of this report. We have a copy of a summary of it issued by the United Nations agency concerned in Nairobi and comments made on it by the executive director of that agency who is not the author of the report, as suggested, but simply made comments when he was introducing it and another similar report.
If the Minister concludes from the report when he eventually gets it that there is a serious issue affecting the policies which the Government might have in relation to future industrial development and the ecology, would he be willing to tell us how he might seek to influence policy at home and abroad in order to ensure that the worst effects of Dr. Tolba's report do not come true?
The report appears to deal with the alleged dangers to the environment of the overuse of carbon fossil-type fuels. It appears that there is no unanimity about this matter. While the shadow in the top of the earth's atmosphere created by carbon dioxide being emitted in excess quantities has the effect of keeping certain types of radiation inside the cloud, there also appears to be the possibility that radiation from the sun which would otherwise penetrate to the earth is stopped outside it. There is no certainty among scientists as to the real long-term effect of a considerable increase in the emission of carbon dioxide. The conclusion drawn in this report is that the world should seek to decrease the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being allowed into the atmosphere. However, we are faced with a situation that coal is one of the fuels most likely to be available in the years to come.