Ireland
Commission on Sustainable Development, 14th Session
Address by Mr Dick Roche TD
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Ireland
10 May 2006
Thank you Mr Chairman. I want to associate myself at the outset with what my
colleague Josef Proll has said on behalf of the EU.
As other contributors have said, Mr Chairman, the themes for this cycle of CSD are
inextricably linked. In this review year, it is useful to have the opportunity to learn from
each other and share experiences.
We all accept that energy is central to economic growth. We need to source that energy
and to use it in a way that is sustainable. A huge global effort is needed to do this.
The really big challenge is to decouple energy demand, economic growth and
environmental degradation.
In Ireland we have seen our GDP grow by 140% between 1990 and 2004 while total
primary energy requirement increased by 59% the overall level of emissions from energy
increased by just 45%.
Growth can be achieved without a parallel growth in emissions.
As Secretary General Annan said this morning, we must move away from seeing
environmental, economic and social considerations as competing issues.
Pascal Lamy referred to the limited use of renewables. Developing renewable energy
technologies is a major challenge. I do not believe that we can leave this issue to
business alone. Business has one overriding objective - private profit. Intergovernmental
cooperation should have something higher as its objective - the objective of public
service.
We must identify solutions that increase access to reliable and affordable energy services.
We must strive for further energy efficiency and move away from unsustainable patterns
of consumption and production.
We need to reduce energy related environmental and health problems related to air
pollution and climate change.
Against this background, it is our responsibility as Governments to create the atmosphere
in which the implementation of the commitments made in Agenda 21, in the
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and reiterated in the 2005 World Summit is
possible.
Address by Mr Dick Roche TD
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Ireland
10 May 2006
Thank you Mr Chairman. I want to associate myself at the outset with what my
colleague Josef Proll has said on behalf of the EU.
As other contributors have said, Mr Chairman, the themes for this cycle of CSD are
inextricably linked. In this review year, it is useful to have the opportunity to learn from
each other and share experiences.
We all accept that energy is central to economic growth. We need to source that energy
and to use it in a way that is sustainable. A huge global effort is needed to do this.
The really big challenge is to decouple energy demand, economic growth and
environmental degradation.
In Ireland we have seen our GDP grow by 140% between 1990 and 2004 while total
primary energy requirement increased by 59% the overall level of emissions from energy
increased by just 45%.
Growth can be achieved without a parallel growth in emissions.
As Secretary General Annan said this morning, we must move away from seeing
environmental, economic and social considerations as competing issues.
Pascal Lamy referred to the limited use of renewables. Developing renewable energy
technologies is a major challenge. I do not believe that we can leave this issue to
business alone. Business has one overriding objective - private profit. Intergovernmental
cooperation should have something higher as its objective - the objective of public
service.
We must identify solutions that increase access to reliable and affordable energy services.
We must strive for further energy efficiency and move away from unsustainable patterns
of consumption and production.
We need to reduce energy related environmental and health problems related to air
pollution and climate change.
Against this background, it is our responsibility as Governments to create the atmosphere
in which the implementation of the commitments made in Agenda 21, in the
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and reiterated in the 2005 World Summit is
possible.
Stakeholders