LAST UPDATE | 10 Nov 2022

A NEWLY LAUNCHED climate tracking website has found Dublin Airport to be the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas in Ireland.

The Climate Trace website was launched yesterday by former US vice president Al Gore at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

The free online platform aims to make “meaningful climate action faster and easier by independently tracking greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions”.

It uses “satellite imagery and other forms of remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and collective data science expertise to track human-caused GHG emissions”.

Climate Trace is a collaboration of more than 100 organisations, using 300 satellites, 11,000 sensors, and close to 80,000 facilities globally.

This allows Climate Trace to analyse over 59 trillion bytes of data.

In a statement to The Journal, Andrea Carroll, daa’s Head of Environment Sustainability, said: “daa, together with our aviation partners that operate from Dublin Airport, is absolutely committed to playing our part to help Ireland meet its carbon emissions reduction targets.

“As a commercial semi-state company, daa has a firm target to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 51% by 2030, in-line with Government-set Public Sector targets. Additionally we are working towards a commitment to achieve Net Zero emissions from our operations by 2050, or sooner.

As a vital economic enabler, daa has a clear sustainability strategy already in place to deliver key initiatives at Dublin Airport in terms of embracing new technologies, ensuring efficient aircraft operations and implementing smart environmental measures to play our part to reduce carbon emissions.”

‘Game changer’
Speaking yesterday at the launch, Gore said it will “be a true game changer for our planet”.

Meanwhile, UN general secretary António Guterres described it as a “critical initiative” that “plugs the data gaps” and provides “timely and granular data”.

Its data for Ireland reveals Dublin Airport to be the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, emitting over one million tonnes of Co2 last year.

Cement plants also account for four of the top six biggest GHG emitters and emitted a combined 2.91 million tonnes of Co2 last year.

A cement plant in Drogheda, Co Louth ranked second, emitting 984 kilotons of Co2.

This was followed by a Co Cavan plant in Ballyconnell, that emitted 955 kilotons of Co2 last year.

A Limerick cement plant was ranked at the fifth biggest contributor to Co2 emissions, emitting 502 kilotons of Co2 in 2021, with a Kinnegad plant coming sixth, having emitted 472 kilotons last year.

Meanwhile, the traffic in Dublin was listed at the fourth biggest emitter of Co2 last year, at 765 kilotons.