Professor Myles Allen from Oxford University will address a special meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine (JOCAFM) this week to discuss how methane emissions are calculated.
The committee meeting this Wednesday (July 20) at 12:00p.m, despite the Dáil recess, will focus on the calculation of methane emissions and sectoral emissions ceilings.
Climate change researcher, Prof. Allen – who served on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – is disputing the way that methane emissions are being calculated in Ireland, committee chair, Jackie Cahill said.
The debate is based on the different impact of methane emissions compared to long-lived gases, including nitrous oxide from livestock and synthetic fertiliser, and carbon dioxide from urea.
Deputy Cahill previously said the committee is waiting with interest to hear a different opinion. However, he emphasised that he cannot prejudge Prof. Allen’s research or what the analysis of the committee will be afterwards.
Committee meeting
The first public session will also hear from representatives of the Carbon Removals Action Group (CRAG), and Dr. Frank Mitloehner from the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis, who researchers air quality related to livestock production.
Dublin City University (DCU) researcher, Prof. Barry McMullin, and research assistant, Paul R. Price will attend the second session of the committee meeting, which is scheduled for 1:00p.m.
Price previously told the committee that methane reduction has a huge potential as it yields a bigger temperature effect than cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Prof. Peter Thorne, director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research UnitS group (ICARUS) at Maynooth University, and Dr. Joeri Rogelj, reader in climate science and policy at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London will also speak on the topic.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) will attend the meeting from 3:00p.m. to discuss sectoral emissions ceilings.