The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service recent report(1) shows that globally, the seven hottest years on record were the last seven.
The fact is carbon dioxide and methane concentrations continue to rise.
Data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also recently found that the concentration of methane in the atmosphere rose to more than 1900 parts per billion as of September 2021, the highest level seen since records began in the 1980s.
The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2) outlined that rapid changes in emissions like methane can result in “rapid climate effects”. Reducing methane emissions can both reduce warming effects and adverse effects on air quality.
Methane is the second highest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(3). It is a short-lived gas but has a global warming potential that is up to 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period
If we are to avert an atmospheric and climate catastrophe governments and local authorities around the world must reduce carbon and methane emmissions.
Ireland along with more than 100 other countries signed up to a pledge last year to reduce methane emissions globally by 30% by the end of this decade.
Buildining gas infrastructure at Tarbert would be counterproductive, adding to methane emmissions locally and nationally.
Kerry County Council's Development plans should focus on renewable energy: the sun and the wind.
(1) https://climate.copernicus.eu/sites/default/files/custom-uploads/Annual_summary_2021/C3S-CAMS%20annual%20temp%20data%20and%20CO2%202021_press%20release_final.pdf
(2) https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/faqs/IPCC_AR6_WGI_FAQs.pdf
(3) https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/ghg/summary-by-gas/#