EPA Climate Change Conference 30th June 2010 - Programme

Climate Change Booklet V1 24/06/2010 16:19 Page 1

Climate Change Conference 2010
Aviva Stadium • Lansdowne Road • Dublin • 30th June 2010


Notes


Climate Change Conference 2010
Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 30th June 2010

08:30 Registration
–
09:00

Addressing Climate Change - President’s Suite

09:00 Welcome by the Chair: Dr. Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA

Opening Address: Ciarán Cuffe, T.D., Minister of State for Planning,
Sustainable Transport and Horticulture

Financing Climate Change: Mr. Andrea Pinna, European Investment Bank

Advancing national climate policy development: Mr. Owen Ryan, DEHLG

11:00 Coffee - Atrium

11:15 Science informing action – Chair, Laura Burke, Director, EPA - President’s Suite

The EU 2 degree target: Dr. Frank McGovern, EPA

Science since the IPCC 4th Assessment Report: Prof. Ray Bates, Climate Adviser, Office of Chief
Scientist

Climate science and the media: Dr. Olive Heffernan, Nature

12:30 Lunch - President’s Terrace / Poster Session - Mezzanine

13:45 Specialist Sessions
Henry Dunlop East President’s Suite Vavasour

Resource use and mitigation Climate impacts and adaptation Climate solutions and global
Chair: Maurice Mullen, Assistant Chair: John McCarthy, Assistant financing
Secretary, Department of Transport Secretary, DEHLG Chair: Robert Watt, Assistant
Secretary, Department of Finance

Reporting and accounting for land Our future climate - a state of International finance - addressing
use: P. O’Brien, EPA-NUIG knowledge? needs, meeting targets:
Dr. M. Desmond, EPA-UCC G. O’Reilly, EPA-UCD

Mitigation – the energy dimension: Climate modeling for Ireland: The global Carbon Market:
Dr. B. O'Gallachoir, UCC Dr. R. McGrath, Met Eireann Mr. Martin Hession, UK, UNFCCC
CDM Executive Board

Sustainable transport: Extreme events; New Analysis: Domestic offsetting a local option:
Prof. M. O’Mahony, TCD Prof. G. Kiely, UCC Mr. Liam Kinsella, DAFF

Future Roles for Peatlands: Adaptation in action: a Cork Carbon pricing and energy
Prof. C. Mueller (UCD) example: Dr. V Cummins, CMRC efficiency: problem solved?
Dr. Lisa Ryan, IEA

15:15 Coffee - Atrium

15:30 Rapporteur and round-up session – Chair, Dr. Ken Macken, EPA - President’s Suite

1. Reports from recent conferences: Carbon Capture and Storage, Phenology, Teagasc
2. Rapporteur reports from Specialist Sessions
3. Panel responses: including NGO, IBEC and others

17:00 Round up and conclusion of Conference


General Information

Aviva Stadium Post Conference Reception & Tour of Stadium
Aviva Stadium is located on the grounds of 6:00pm - Atrium Area. The tour is a short
the oldest sporting stadium in the world, in behind the scenes look at the Stadium and will
Dublin 4. The new stadium opened its doors on give you a look at the changing rooms, pitch
the 14th May 2010 and to date has welcomed and bowl access. If you have not specified that
over 6000 delegates for conferences and you are interested in the Tour and Reception in
events. The first game at Aviva Stadium will be advance but wish to partake, please contact
the combined provinces rugby fixture on the the registration desk before Lunch time and
31st July to a full house of 50,000. we will endeavour to add you to the list.
Some light canapés and drinks will be served
Exhibition
from 6pm in the Atrium area.
A small exhibition will be situated on the
Atrium level, behind the registration desk Evaluation Form
throughout the day. Please feel free to browse We have included an evaluation form in the
the stands. delegate pack. We would be grateful if you
could take the time to fill this out and drop it
Catering
back to the registration desk. It is invaluable in
Tea/Coffee will be available on arrival
the organisation of future EPA events.
between 8:00am and 9:00am in the Atrium
(behind the Registration desk). Mid-morning Recording of the Sessions & Photographer
and afternoon Tea/Coffee will also be served Please note that the main plenary sessions will
in this area and a further catering point is be recorded for future use on the EPA website.
available on the Mezzanine level of the Atrium A photographer will also be in attendance
beside the Posters. Lunch will be served in the on the day taking general photographs of the
Presidents Terrace, situated in the room behind conference.
the main Plenary Room. The lunch is a sit-down
Badge Recycling
buffet lunch and is free seating (please observe
We would ask that delegates avail of our badge
any Reserved signs on the day). Four buffet
recycling at the end of the day. A box will be
stations will be available on the day to facili-
provided for this on the registration desk.
tate the smooth running of the lunch break.
Please drop your badge in the box before
Please note that lunch will run from 12:30 to
leaving.
13:45. Tea/Coffee after lunch will be available
from the Atrium and Mezzanine levels.
Our aim is to make this a low carbon
Speakers conference.
Any speakers, who have not sent on their
Copies of the presentations will be made
presentation in advance, please make yourself
available on the EPA website www.epa.ie
known to the technician in the Presidents room
(plenary room) during the Tea/Coffee break If you have any queries throughout the day
in the morning from 11am to ensure your please contact:
presentation is uploaded and available for you Jackie McGann
in the room that you are presenting in. Anyone MCI Dublin
who will present earlier than 11am – please EPA Climate Change Conference 2010
make your way to the Presidents room on Secretariat
arrival and talk with the technician to ensure Senior Project Manager
your presentation is uploaded on time. Email: epaclimateconference@mci-group.com
Wi-Fi Access Mobile: 087 6783117
Wi-Fi is available in the Atrium and Mezzanine
levels of the stadium.
Username: Siemens Password: Siemens


Poster Session – Mezzanine Level

The poster session will take place on the Mezzanine Level of the Atrium – upstairs from the
registration desk. Posters will be grouped into 3 themes as follows:

1. Climate Change Impacts for Ireland

• Observing Our Changing Climate – N Dwyer – University College Cork

• Extreme Events, Climatic Shifts & Natural Disasters in Ireland – P Leahy et al. – University
College Cork

• Recent Irish Weather Extreme and Change of Extreme Precipitation due to Climate Change –
S Wang et al. – ICHEC

• CoCoAdapt – J Sweeney et al. – NUI Maynooth

• CLAD Coastal Climate Change Adaptation and Development - V Cummins et al - CLAD

• Investigating temperature-related genotypic and phenotypic variation in phenology traits of
European Aspen - A Donnelly et al

• Impact of climate warming on whooper swan wintering phenology in Ireland - A Donnelly et al

• The use of climate projections in the modelling of Bud Burst - A Donnelly et al

• Expansion of the Phenological Gardens in Ireland – H Proctor & A Donnelly

2. Greenhouse Gas Management Systems

• Integrated Modelling Project Ireland – A Kelly – AP EnvEcon Limited

• Assessing the Barriers to Sustainable Transport in Ireland – D Browne et al. – Trinity College
Dublin

• CELTICFLUX – Carbon Sequestrian Potentials of Irish Ecosystems – M Peichl et al. - University
College Cork

• In-situ Observations of Greenhouse Gases at Carnsore Point – D Young et al. – University of
Bristol

3. Linked Issues

• An Assessment of the Potential for Geological Storage of CO2 within Carboniferous Aquifers
of the Onshore Clare Basin, West Ireland – I Farrelly et al. – AURUM

• Improved Emission Inventories for NOx and Particulate Matter from Small Combustion
Installations in Ireland – S Morrin et al. – University College Dublin

• The Eyjafjallajokull Eruption – Plume Observations and Forecast Modelling at Mace head
Research Station – D Ceburnis et al. – NUI Galway


Speaker Biographies

Addressing Climate Change

Mr. Andrea Pinna

Mr. Andrea Pinna is Lead on Climate Change at the European Investment Bank at its Headquarters
in Luxembourg. From 2002-2008, he worked at the World Bank in Washington DC as Team Leader
of the Carbon Funds Management Unit, Manager of two of the World Bank’s ten carbon funds and
facilities. Mr. Pinna was also a member of the Management Team of the $2.1 billion Bank’s Carbon
Finance Program, Coordinator of the Program’s $7.0 million technical assistance facility for
carbon finance projects as well as Executive Secretary of the Advisory Group of the Community
Development Carbon Fund. Prior to this Mr. Pinna was a staff member of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) where he managed the Emissions
Trading Program. Mr. Pinna started as UNDP Associate Expert in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1989 where
he worked until 1992.

A lawyer by training (1987, Università di Sassari, Italy), Mr. Pinna holds Masters degrees in
International Relations (1993, Columbia University, New York) and Business Administration (1989,
FORMEZ/Columbia University, Italy). He also teaches at the Università di Milano.

Mr. Owen Ryan

Owen Ryan is Principal Officer in charge of the Climate Change Policy Section within the
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government since September 2004.
He has significant experience in areas related to the development and implementation of
national and EU policy on environmental protection. The Climate Change Policy Section is
responsible for national and EU policy and legislation on climate change, as well as
coordinating and leading Irish engagement in the wider-international climate change
agenda under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.


Science informing action

Dr. Frank McGovern

Dr. Frank McGovern, received his Ph.D. in atmospheric physics from the National University of
Ireland Galway. Dr. McGovern has more than twelve years research experience in the areas of
climate change and air pollution, including work on international research projects funded by the
European Commission and World Meteorological Office. Dr. McGovern joined the EPA in 2000.
He is a member of EU Expert Group on Climate Science and is a regular delegate to meetings of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC).

Prof. Ray Bates

Professor Ray Bates B.Sc. (UCD), PhD (MIT), is Adjunct Professor of Meteorology at UCD since 2004.
He was previously Professor of Meteorology at the University of Copenhagen and a Senior Scientist
at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy
and currently Chairman of the Academy’s Climate Change Sciences Committee. Professor Bates’
research interests are in the theory and numerical modelling of the global climate. He is
particularly interested in climate feedbacks – the mechanisms that keep the global climate
stable at its current equilibrium and that determine its sensitivity to CO2 increase. Prof. Bates has
been the recipient of a number of awards for his research on weather and climate during the
course of his career, most recently being awarded the Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal of the European
Geosciences Union (2009).

Dr. Olive Heffernan

Olive Heffernan is the Chief Editor of Nature Climate Change, a new research journal being
launched in 2011 by the publishers of Nature. For the past 3 years, Olive has been an online
commissioning editor on climate change with Nature, and editor of Nature’s Climate Feedback
blog. She has contributed regularly to the magazine as a reporter, covering controversies such
as Climategate as well as international policy negotiations. Olive graduated from Trinity College
Dublin with a degree in Zoology and from University College Dublin with a PhD in marine
ecology. She moved to the UK a post doctorate research scientist in 2004, and became a
chartered marine scientist, but jumped ship to science journalism in 2006.


Resource use and mitigation
Phillip O’Brien
Phillip O’Brien is a climate change research specialist for the Climate Change Research
Programme. A graduate from DCU, and NUI, Galway his main areas of expertise are greenhouse
gas emissions and sinks, and atmospheric and climate science. He is currently leading on the
development of improved methodologies for the estimations of GHG emissions and sinks
related to agricultural activities and other land uses. Formerly, he worked at the Environmental
Change Institute in NUI Galway on the observations and source attribution of GHGs and other
atmospheric pollutants.

Dr. Brian Ó Gallachóir
Dr. Brian Ó Gallachóir is a Lecturer in Energy Engineering in University College Cork and Principal
Investigator in Energy Policy and Modelling in UCC’s Environmental Research Institute. He also
co-ordinates UCC’s MEngSc in Sustainable Energy. Brian holds a BSc in applied sciences and PhD in
ocean wave energy. His research informs energy and climate policy through bottom-up
modelling of sectoral energy demand and efficiency and energy systems modelling with TIMES.
Brian represents Ireland on IEA’s ETSAP and EU DG ENERGY’s Energy Economic Analysts WG.
Within Ireland, he is an elected member of the RIA Climate Change Committee and Strategic
Advisor to Sustainable Energy Ireland.

Prof. Margaret O’Mahony
Professor Margaret O’Mahony is the Professor of Civil Engineering, Bursar, and Director of the
Centre for Transport Research at Trinity College Dublin. She has 20 years experience in the areas
of transport impacts on the environment, network modelling, optimisation of public transport,
demand management, transport pricing, quality of service of public transport, urban freight
solutions, vehicle instrumentation and innovative road materials. She is widely published and is
actively involved on the transport research scene internationally as a research collaborator and
consultant.

Prof. Christoph Müller
Prof. Christoph Müller is the director of the Institute of Plant Ecology at the University of Giessen
(Germany) and holds a visiting professorship at the University College Dublin in the School of
Biology and Environmental Science. He received his PhD from Lincoln University
(New Zealand) and subsequently carried out Post Doctoral studies at the Justus-Liebig University
Giessen. His research focuses on elemental cycles and in particular the identification of the
processes responsible for the production of climate relevant traces gases (e.g. N2O) under
climate change. His research in Ireland is focusing on the restoration of peatlands for carbon
sequestration.


Climate impacts and adaptation

Dr. Margaret Desmond

Dr. Margaret Desmond is a climate change research specialist for the Climate Change Research
Programme. A graduate from UCC, her main areas of expertise are climate change impacts,
vulnerability and adaptation. She is currently leading on the National Adaptive Capacity
Assessment and the planned national climate change information system. She is a member
of the EU expert Working Group on the Knowledge Base for climate change impacts and
adaptation. She was the lead author of ‘A Summary of the State of Knowledge on Climate Change
Impacts for Ireland’ (Desmond et al., 2009). Formerly, she worked for the Coastal, Marine and
Resources Centre (CMRC) in UCC on climate change adaptation at the coastal zone.

Dr. Valerie Cummins

Valerie Cummins is Director of the Maritime and Energy Research Campus and Commercial Cluster
(MERC3). MERC3 brings University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology and the Irish Naval
Service together to provide critical mass for the Maritime and Energy sectors. In 2009 Val was a
top Irish performer across all disciplines in winning European FP7 projects. Her research concerns
coastal governance issues. She is coordinator of IMCORE (Interreg) and CLAD (Strive) projects on
climate adaptation in the coastal zone. She is a member of the LOICZ International Scientific
Committee and the Climate Sciences Committee of the Royal Irish Academy. She is finalising her
PhD on sustainability science in ICZM.

Climate solutions and global financing

Gemma O’Reilly

Gemma O’Reilly is socio-economic and technologies research specialist for the Climate Change
Research Programme. A graduate from UCD, her main areas of expertise are socioeconomics and
international climate negotiations. She currently focuses on medium to longer-term mitigation
options for Ireland i.e. up to 2050, and international finance for climate change. She assisted the
Swedish presidency at the UNFCCC negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009. Formerly she worked as
an economist with the Office of Climate Change in the UK government.


Mr. Martin Hession

Martin Hession is responsible for international negotiations on Carbon Markets at the UK
Department of Energy and Climate Change. He has been a Member of the Executive Board of the
Clean Development Mechanisms since 2007 where he tales a special interest in improving
the transparency and quality of decision making. He represented the UK and EU in Climate
Negotiations since 2002, including linking of CDM to the EU Emissions Trading in 2004.
He established the UK designated National Authority for CDM, as well as initiating the GRETA
system of international emission trading registries. He was born in and brought up in Ireland, is a
graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the London School of Economics. He also lectured at Oxford
University and Imperial College London. He qualified as a barrister in London (1991).

Mr. Liam Kinsella

Liam Kinsella works in Environment and Engineering Services Division of the Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and is responsible for the technical and scientific analysis of
measures for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector and the
development of approaches to reducing farm-level emissions associated with food production.
He contributes to the development and negotiation of national/EU/international policies
related to GHG emissions from the agriculture sector.

Dr. Lisa Ryan

Dr Lisa Ryan has worked in the area of energy and environmental policy for the past 12 years.
She joined the International Energy Agency as senior energy economist in the Energy Efficiency
and Environment Division in January 2010. Before moving to the IEA, Lisa was Director of Research
for Comhar Sustainable Development Council and she was also research fellow in University
College Dublin in environmental economics. Previously Lisa worked for Volkswagen
AG in Wolfsburg, Germany in the engine development division where she was responsible for
European environmental technical policy. Lisa holds primary and postgraduate degrees in
chemical engineering as well as economics and environmental economics.


Abstracts

The EU 2 Degree Target
Dr Frank McGovern

Ahead of the Kyoto meeting of Parties to the UNFCCC, the European Union (EU) established
a view that the most dangerous impacts of climate change would be avoided if the increase
in global average temperature was kept below 2 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial
temperatures. This has allowed the EU to provide global leadership in addressing climate change.
The 2C target is now widely accepted a global target and was included in the Copenhagen Accord.
The background, implications and future of this target are considered.

Science since the IPCC 4th Assessment Report
Prof Ray Bates

Activity in climate monitoring and climate modelling has continued to expand worldwide since the
2007 IPCC Report. This activity will be surveyed, with emphasis on the continued increase in
atmospheric CO2, changes in average temperatures, melting of land-based and sea ice, sea level
rise, and aspects of natural variability such as El Niño and the solar cycle. Some developments in
global modelling will also be discussed.

A challenging climate
Dr Olive Heffernan

With greenhouse gas emissions rising, and little sign of an effective global climate treaty in sight,
the world is already committed to a certain level of climate change, which will likely lead to
dangerous impacts. Notwithstanding the need to rapidly reduce global emissions, the urge to build
climate-resilient nations naturally brings with it a desire for more detailed knowledge of the
changes that lie ahead. But - aside from the fact that we can expect the world to warm - what
can climate science tell us about the future? And in the wake of recent controversies that have
shaken the climate research community, how much can we trust the science?

In this talk, I will present an overview of the challenges currently facing climate scientists
in communicating the wider implications of their research. In doing so, I will touch on the
increasing burden on climate scientists to communicate their results – and the associated
uncertainties – clearly. I will also give a broad brush perspective on the real gaps in climate
science, from uncertainty about how much aerosols cool the climate to the limits of scientists’
ability to predict climate change on spatial and temporal scales that are useful to planners and
policy makers. I will also discuss where scientists are making significant headway in confronting
these challenges, in terms of advancing the science and communicating the uncertainties.

Climate Change Mitigation – The Energy Dimension
Dr Brian O'Gallachoir

This paper discusses the energy dimension of climate change, focussing on the role of energy
in mitigation. Globally, energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to more than double by 2050.
Energy technologies can be used to achieve a 50% reduction on 2005 levels. In Ireland, energy-
related CO2 emissions grew by 52% between 1990 and 2005 and are projected to be 1% below 2005
levels by 2020 in a baseline policy scenario. If national energy targets are achieved, Ireland’s
energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to be 13% below 2005 levels by 2020, but 1% above
2005 levels for sectors outside of emissions trading. However, Ireland’s has a mandatory target to
reduce non-ETS emissions by 20% below 2005 levels by 2020. UCC are building an energy systems
model, Irish TIMES, to build scenarios on how this ambitious 20% emissions reduction target may
be achieved by 2020 in a least cost manner. The model is also being used to model an 80%
emissions reduction target by 2050 in a least cost manner, focussing on the energy dimension only.
The paper will present preliminary results from this EPA funded research project.


Sustainable Transport
Dr David Browne, Dr Brian Caulfield and Prof. Margaret O’Mahony, Centre for Transport
Research, Trinity College Dublin.

The presentation will be based on a project entitled Assessing the Barriers to Sustainable
Transport in Ireland which is currently nearing completion at TCD. The project was jointly
funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transport.
The presentation will look at the potential of a range of sustainable transport policies and
it will also examine the socio-economic, political, institutional, legal and technical barriers to
sustainable travel and transport in Ireland. The presentation will conclude with a summary of the
existing knowledge gaps and suggestions as to where future research priorities should be focused

Future roles for peatlands in Ireland
Prof Christoph Muller

Peatlands have been part of the Irish landscape since the last Ice Age and are one of Ireland’s
oldest natural heritage. They have accumulated and stored carbon in the peat over thousands
of years and currently contain more than 75% of the soil organic carbon in Ireland.
Natural peatlands play an important role in the regulation of the global climate by actively
removing carbon from the atmosphere, but this important function is reversed (i.e. there is a net
release of carbon) when the peatland is damaged. Therefore, while near-intact peatlands may
actively sequester carbon, losses of carbon from degraded peatlands (the majority of Irish
peatlands) and associated activities (e.g. combustion) mean that, at a national level, Irish
peatlands are a large net source of carbon. There are many uncertainties that are associated with
the fate of carbon in peatlands under various land uses: e.g. forestry and wind farm.
In addition, the effect of a changing global climate on carbon dynamics in peatlands in general is
also uncertain. Peatland conservation, restoration and paludiculture remain the best
management options to ensure that this natural resource is enhanced into the future.

Building capacity for adaptation to climate change at the local level
Ms Valerie Cummins

Despite scientific uncertainty surrounding the causes and consequences of climate change,
adaptation to climate change is an issue that has gained increasing precedence over the last
decade. While academic discourse continues to debate the interpretation and theory of
adaptation, policy frameworks from the global to the national level advocate a transition towards
adaptation in practice. At the local level, there is little doubt that Local Authorities will be
important actors in the implementation of adaptation strategies. However, there is a need for
clear policy direction coupled with guidelines and adequate resources to optimise their role in this
regard. This paper explores the institutional dimension of capacity building among Local
Authorities with specific regard to the coastal zone. Preliminary analysis of findings from coastal
case studies across north-west Europe reveals a complex picture of vulnerability and adaptive
capacity within Local Authorities. It is argued that effective practitioners working within
the power dynamics of the existing system are required to make progress on this issue.
Bridging organisations also have an important role to play in adaptive knowledge management.
The argument is made in favour of coastal research groups providing a bridging function between
Local Authorities and coastal communities, and for the utilisation of techniques such as scenario
modelling and visualisation in positively influencing public perception.


The future of the global carbon market ; after Copenhagen
Mr Martin Hession

Carbon Markets reduce the costs of mitigating climate change and enable more ambitious action,
as well as contributing significantly to the financing of less-cost abatement world-wide.
The absence of international agreement on climate at Copenhagen has increased concern
round the future of carbon markets beyond the first Kyoto Commitment Period. This presentation
deals with the prospects for agreement following Copenhagen, the positions of the major parties
on development of the carbon market, and prospects for future development of the market,
including the future of emissions trading and international offsetting mechanism, particularly the
CDM.

Carbon pricing and energy efficiency: problem solved?
Dr Lisa Ryan

Energy efficiency is important in the challenge to mitigate climate change. The IEA estimates that
end-use efficiency measures are estimated to be the largest contributor to CO2 emissions
abatement, accounting for more than half (51%) of the total emissions savings needed by 2030 to
remain on track with a 450 ppm scenario. The barriers to energy efficiency are multiple and
arise as a result of market and non-market failures. Public policy intervention in the form of
regulatory or incentive-based economic instruments is required to address market failures in
energy efficiency. This presentation examines the use of economic instruments, particularly
carbon pricing and energy efficiency finance, in overcoming the barriers to energy efficiency and
carbon mitigation, and emphasises the complementarity of carbon pricing and energy
efficiency policies in a carbon reduction strategy.


Notes


MCI Dublin
EPA Climate Change Conference 2010 Secretariat
1 Clarinda Park North
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
Ireland

Email: epaclimateconference@mci-group.com
Ph: +353 1 2802641

EPA Climate Change Conference 30th June 2010 - Programme

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