Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium - EPA
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Summary of the proceedings from the
Environmental Protection Agency climate research
symposium
7 December 2017, Fitzwilliam Room, Fitzwilliam Hotel, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin
Disclaimer
The views in this document are those made on the day by the participants and do not necessarily reflect those
of the Environmental Protection Agency
Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium
Introduction
The Environmental Protection Agency hosted a symposium with over 100 participants from
the Irish research community and end users of their research on 7 December 2017 in the
Fitzwilliam Room, Fitzwilliam Hotel, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin. The purpose of the day was
to:
Highlight some of the outputs from the Environmental Protection Agency Climate
Research programme.
Demonstrate how targeted research can identify pressures, inform policy and develop
solutions.
Build a framework and a longer-term process on how best to tackle Irish research and
policy needs in supporting our transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and
environmentally sustainable economy by 2050.
Contribute to the EPA’s mid-term review of its Research Strategy 2014-2020.
Format of the day
The day was split in two parts. The morning session consisted of a welcome from Laura Burke,
Director of the Environmental Protection Agency and Denis Naughten TD, Minister for
Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Presentations from past and current
Environmental Protection Agency research projects were as follows:
Margaret Desmond: # 223: State of Knowledge of Climate Change Impacts for Ireland
John Redmond: # 221: 21st Century Deforestation in Ireland
Fionn Rogan: # 199: Irish TIMES Phases 2 & 3
Andrew Kelly: # 212: Integrated Modelling Project - GAINS Ireland
Barry O’Dwyer: # 222: Climate Ireland
The afternoon sessions consisted of four expert panel thematic discussions covering
monitoring, reporting, mitigation, impacts, adaptation, economics, socio-economics,
technologies and air quality. The discussions were then opened to the floor for comment and
feedback. Each theme was introduced by a ‘scene setter’ who outlined the thematic goals and
the session was chaired by a theme expert. The question asked of the panels and the floor was:
Where are we and where do we need to go on each of the thematic goals, aims and
objectives associated with them. Are they still valid?
Summary of outputs
Across all the discussions there were many common elements. Four main issues have been
identified as being significant to all themes. These are: accessibility of data for research
Issued 15 January 2018 1Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium
purposes; increasing the impact of research; building research capacity and a vibrant and
diverse research community in Ireland; and relevance of existing research objectives.
1. Accessibility of data for research purposes: There are numerous data sources held by
stakeholders but not all are easily accessible to researchers. Data Protection Regulations
may also hinder access to this data and more clarity is needed as to how data can be made
available for research purposes in a timely manner. Difficulties with accessing data can
slow down the research due to the time taken to access such data. It is not just high value
indicator sets of activity data sets that are of importance, but also background trend data.
Access to spatially resolved health data is a challenge that needs to be addressed. There
is a strong desire from both the research community and the end users to address this
issue.
All sectors should be using or have access to the same data sources (the one version of
the truth) to ensure the integrity of research outputs. Ideally, data holders (including the
research community) would all be following similar open data principles and standards in
terms of data structure and accessibility, for example, those that are set out in the
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Open Data Technical Framework. Outputs
from research will differ and this is healthy and to be welcomed, if they are based on ’the
one version of the truth’ when it comes to the underlying data.
International data sources such as the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) and
the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation System ‘Copernicus’ are openly and freely
available to Irish researchers, but they will be made more useful through a co-ordinated
approach to refine the data, particularly in an Irish context. This is an infrastructural
investment that needs to be made by Ireland.
2. Increasing the impact of research: The nature of research funding cycles can mean that
once a report is written, delivered and paid for, there is insufficient attention paid by the
researchers and funding agencies to making the research operational and more widely
relevant. More effort is needed to operationalise research and increase its overall societal
impact. Insights from research and solutions developed from research may be better
employed and more impactful through greater engagement between the research
community and potential end users such as government, society and business. For
example, many models and tools developed through research can have much broader
application than providing an answer to the research questions for which they were
commissioned.
Having top down research calls complemented with more open, bottom up calls would
also allow for further development and application of the outputs of existing research
investments.
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3. Building research capacity and a vibrant and diverse research community in Ireland: There
is a strong desire to build a vibrant and diverse Irish climate research community with
better gender balance at all levels of climate research. A vibrant and diverse community
would ensure that there is sufficient research and researcher capacity in Ireland for future
needs. In Ireland, it is anticipated as existing and future climate actions, goals and policies
are implemented, there will be a greater demand for climate services which are
insufficiently developed at present. If they cannot be serviced from within Ireland, the
service of the demand may be delayed or exported.
4. Relevance of existing objectives: Overall, the vision, thematic goals and research objectives
set out in the EPA’s research strategy for 2014 – 2020 were considered to remain valid.
The strategy though needs to reflect the more recent policy changes in Europe and Ireland
as a lot has happened since the strategy was adopted, including:
The National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, 2013.
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act, 2015.
Ireland’s Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future, 2015.
The Paris Agreement, 2015.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2015.
The Climate Advisory Council, 2016.
The EPA’s State of the Environment Report, 2016.
The National Mitigation Plan and draft National Adaptation Framework, 2017.
The Citizen’s Assembly, 2017.
A stronger focus on climate research across the Irish research funding community.
Overall, there was agreement that climate research now had to support real and tangible
change by supporting the implementation of the National Mitigation Plan and National
Adaptation Framework and the achievement of the objectives for 2050 set out in the National
Policy Position. Ireland is now moving from a period dominated by assessment and planning to
a stronger focus on implementation. This will require much greater engagement with citizens
and wider society and helping empower our citizens, enterprises and communities to become
active participants in the transition to a low carbon and resource efficient economy and society
supported by a clean and well protected environment. The research community will have a
strong role to play in this and the Environmental Protection Agency research strategy will need
to reflect this.
Next steps
The Environmental Protection Agency hosts the National Climate Research Co-ordination
Group (CRCG). This group provides a national framework for coordination of climate
environmental research in Ireland for all research funders and key stakeholders, not just the
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Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency shall present and
share the findings from this report at the group’s meeting in Q1 2018.
The Environmental Protection Agency shall also review and use the outputs from the report to
inform and support its 2018 research call which is due in Q2 2018. The Environmental
Protection Agency will also use the report as an input to its review of the current Research
Strategy.
The CRCG has an action arising from the National Mitigation Plan (NMP) to provide an annual
report on its activities and to provide an assessment and synthesis of key findings from
research on climate research and wider assessment of climate related research activities every
five years. The symposium and its outputs will form the starting point for this action.
Details of thematic discussions
For this report, the points raised have been categorised, where relevant, under the following
headings.
Research & knowledge gap(s): Gaps in research, knowledge and innovation required to
support the theme’s vision and purpose, in addition to the wider user’s needs and climate
services. These gaps could be closed by future research calls nationally and internationally.
Infrastructure gap(s): Gaps in infrastructure (physical and organisational), required to
support the theme’s vision and purpose, in addition to the wider user’s needs and climate
services. These gaps could be closed by better research co-ordination, investment and
longer term funding.
Cross, trans, multi-disciplinary opportunity(ies): Research and innovation projects,
programmes and initiatives working on similar activities and/or areas. Drawing
appropriately from multiple academic disciplines in the design and development of
research to reach and for which outputs have the potential to provide, a wider or more
comprehensive outcome.
Good practice(s): Research topics, themes and practices that have been shown to deliver
quality outputs. These should be supported and encouraged by the research funding
organisations and end users.
Practice(s) for review: Areas or activities that are (or could be interpreted as being)
duplicative and do not add any new value or knowledge or are not aligned with existing
knowledge or evidence.
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Climate Theme 1: Carbon Stocks, GHG Emissions, Sinks and Management Options
Chair Frank McGovern – Environmental Protection Agency
Scene setter Phillip O’Brien – Environmental Protection Agency
Panel Mike Jones – Trinity College Dublin
Bernard Hyde - Environmental Protection Agency
Gary Lanigan - Teagasc
Vision: A holistic analysis of carbon stocks and GHG emissions and removals in Ireland.
Thematic goal: Advanced analysis of GHG emissions and removals, enabling improved policy
development and decision making.
Research objectives include:
To improve national GHG inventories and projections including more accurate
reporting of Irish circumstances.
To develop independent measurement and verification systems.
To enable effective mitigation of GHG emissions.
To improve understanding of the feedback of Climate Change on emissions and
removals.
To provide analysis of alternative metrics and approaches to accounting of
emissions.
This area is focused on on-going improvement of national GHG inventory and projections.
Improved analysis of the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector is central to
this.
Key messages from the discussion
Research & knowledge gap(s):
1. There is an important gap in reporting and accounting policy area regarding a working
definition of carbon or climate neutrality. It is important that Ireland develop concepts
in this area which are robust in terms of long term national climate objectives and
consistent with international processes under the Paris Agreement which are seeking
to define balance. This includes, but is not limited to additional research in comparative
metrics to enable appropriate comparison of the impact of emissions of different
greenhouse gases in terms of international and national climate objectives.
2. Improved modelling of the forest carbon stock in Ireland, including the potential impact
of various afforestation scenarios and increased demand for biomass resources
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harvested from the national forest. There is a need to identify and address barriers to
afforestation, including cultural and attitudes, which have impacted on the rate of
plantation well below the policy objective.
3. Research is needed to identify management practices to mitigate emissions, and
enhance sinks associated with land use. Wetlands are an area where research is
required, could be a primary focus of Environmental Protection Agency research. While
agricultural and forest lands might be addressed by other funding streams, close
coordination with Environmental Protection Agency inventory and projection units is
essential.
4. A specific research area that might be considered is a review of existing records and
data to establish trends in management practices, for example, changes in manure
management practices, cropland rotation patterns and management of grassland on
organic soils, and associated changes in carbon stocks.
5. There is a need for more research on negative emissions in the broader sense of the
term, and more specifically in terms of carbon stocks in context of the opportunities
in Ireland.
Infrastructure gap(s):
1. The research community notes that Ireland is not a formal member of ICOS, and is
missing an important opportunity to engage with the international research
community. It is important that Ireland decides how best to engage with ICOS and
where Ireland can make meaningful contribution to science in this area.
2. Additional research and investment is required in Measurement, Reporting and
Verification; this includes atmospheric monitoring, modelling and analysis of
greenhouse emissions, removals and concentrations, their spatial and temporal
distribution, and activity data of human and natural processes and activities which give
rise to greenhouse gas fluxes. Earth observations systems and outputs, including those
under the Copernicus programme, are important emerging areas of research in this
regard.
Cross, trans, multi-disciplinary opportunity(ies):
1. There is a need to explore policies and other measures to reduce the extraction of peat
for energy and horticultural use. Technologies such as use of waste composts as a
horticultural substrate could be advanced, and growing of alternative media.
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2. Research is required on the relationship between emissions mitigation, biogenic
resource use and the circular economy. This can also be viewed in the context of the
wider SDGs and building resilience in the rural economy.
3. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel sources are relatively easy to quantify on a
national scale for reporting and accounting purposes, based on fuel sales. However,
analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of emissions will be important in the
development of policies aimed at community and sector specific incentives and
measures to reduce emissions. In addition, capacity to perform ex ante and post-ante
assessment of climate and other related policies is required.
Good practice(s):
1. The broad research objectives identified in this theme remain valid.
2. Emissions and removals from certain source activities, especially within agriculture,
land use and waste, are influenced by stakeholder behaviour, practices and site, animal,
or system specific parameters. Use of default and country specific emission factors and
process models needs to be kept under continual review. The research capacity to
undertake this work, and to further develop appropriate country specific factors and
methodologies, needs to be developed and maintained.
3. Greater flexibility in Environmental Protection Agency funding mechanisms, and
associated administrative oversight of research might help enable multi-person, multi-
disciplinary teams to coalesce around specific topics and themes.
Climate Theme 2: Ireland’s Future Climate, its Impacts, and Adaptation Options
Chair John O’Neill – Dept. of Communications, Climate Action & Environment
Scene setter Margaret Desmond – University College Cork
Panel Paul Nolan - Irish Centre for High-End Computing
Conor Murphy – Maynooth University
Mark Adamson – Office of Public Works
Barry O’Dwyer - University College Cork
Vision: Informing transition to a climate resilient Ireland.
Thematic goal: Provision of research based information in support of risk and vulnerability
analysis and adaptation actions in Ireland.
Research objectives include:
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To provide analyses of on-going and projected changes in Ireland climate system.
To provide analyses of responses of managed and natural systems to climate
change.
To provide information on impacts, risks and vulnerabilities.
To identify adaptation options and solutions for Ireland.
Improved information and analysis is needed to manage the transition to a climate resilient
Ireland. This will inform decision making on adaptation and planning.
It will include information from climate services and initiatives being developed at EU level e.g.
European Environment Agency CLIMATE-ADAPT, and the European Centre for Medium-Range
Weather Forecasts - Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (ECMWF MACC)
projects. New addition should be JPI Climate (e.g ERA4CS), BELMONT Forum, Future Earth,
H2020 projects (e.g SINCERE) and Copernicus.
Key messages from the discussion
Research & knowledge gap(s):
1. Monitoring and observations are vital to support and maintain, Oceans and SLR are key
challenges for Ireland, there is need for data on surge, extreme wave heights all of
which cause coastal flooding.
2. We need to also understand our history; we have good long-term records (especially
climate variability). We need to fill missing gaps to build up a long-term time series.
3. The Office of Public Works is both a source of data and end user. Evidence base is
growing, but there is high uncertainty for variables such as precipitation.
4. We need to begin by understanding our current sensitivities and vulnerabilities.
5. Projections: There is a need for annual and decadal projections, to look at abrupt
climate change especially in the North Atlantic. To look at paleo (historic) climatic
records as we have not enough research done in this area, e.g. lakes and sediments
untapped source of data.
Infrastructure gap(s):
1. Capacity building, training, dissemination: there is a deficit at the user end, we need to
find a mechanism to connect with top down with the bottom up and vice versa.
2. There is a need to get a handle on the idea of a climate resilient Ireland, what does this
mean for Ireland? We should be on a pathway to sustainable development. There is a
need to try to link mitigation and adaptation more when dealing with the public, as they
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do not see a difference and perhaps when it comes to actions there isn’t such a clear
divide?
3. Monitoring: good progress over the years, however, elements of the system are
vulnerable and need critical funding to provide crucial data for climate change actions.
There is a need to scope out fully the status of our monitoring network (atmospheric,
oceans and terrestrial) and act to sustain it. This will require critical support from the
research funding community.
4. Need to improve our links in with Copernicus to use their data and services.
5. Is there a need for a national data set for Ireland, a national data centre to store this
information centrally? Allowing it to be utilised by all sectors once they start developing
their own strategies. This will provide for a uniformity in data being used, which is
currently missing. Or do we need to foster a better understanding of how data can be
made available and be accessed for research by using existing frameworks e.g.
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Open Data Technical Framework.
6. There is a need to organise, provide and operationalise our national Climate Services,
to provide national and international solutions for the emerging users. We need to
make more use of our research outputs. Link with national and international schemes.
7. Ireland needs to join the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) research
infrastructure.
8. There is a need to figure out how to develop our climate services nationally. To have a
more integrated approach to dealing with mitigation and adaptation, for example, flood
risk.
9. We need a co-ordinated research strategy for Ireland in climate change. We must have
coherence across all policy/sectors and local authorities.
Cross, trans, multi-disciplinary opportunity(ies):
1. The theme needs a stronger focus on ‘transition to climate resilience’, what is our vision
for Ireland, how are we going to get there, how do we work with communities faced
with these transitions, how do we understand the policy and actual trade-offs that are
required for transition. This requires further and deeper work with the social sciences
and humanities (could we take a lead from new Action Group on SSH under the JPI
Climate programme, which Ireland is currently co-leading?).
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2. There is a need for information and tools that are user specific, to understand user
needs, which climate parameters are of relevance to sectors. Greater development of
specific climate services. A lot of engagement is required between researchers and
communities. This could be done more effectively through a centralised process or
programme.
3. Starting points: getting communities to understand that climate change is much more
than extreme weather events, it’s also the ongoing change, they must prepare for sea
level and temperature rises. Decision makers/public/businesses, etc., need to be
educated on how to use climate projections.
4. We need to place more emphasis on the synergies between mitigation and adaptation
and work on both sides of policy coin at the same time.
Good practice(s):
1. Climate projections, we now have high resolution data sets for Ireland; now covering
all RCPs, also running Irelands contribution to the CMIP6 project (EU).
2. We need a follow up to the State of Knowledge style report: perhaps an IPCC light every
5-7 years.
3. Vulnerability mapping under the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management
programme (CFRAM), identified 300 at risk communities, this will be expanded
nationally; this information will be of value to several other sectors.
4. There is a need to make more use out of the outcomes from JPI Climate report on
Synergies and Mismatch analysis around climate services (ERA4CS report-EPA played a
strong role in developing this report and should be using it).
5. It is 10 years since we considered the idea of ‘surprise impacts for Ireland’.
Practice(s) for review:
1. We need to be careful about overemphasising Coupled Model Intercomparison Project
data (CMIP), as it does not cover everything. Its use should not allow some of our own
monitoring to disappear.
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Climate Theme 3: Climate Solutions, Transition Management and Opportunities
Chair Gemma O’Reilly – Environmental Protection Agency
Scene setter Gemma O’Reilly – Environmental Protection Agency
Panel Tara Shine - Environmental & Development Consultant
Fionn Rogan – University College Cork
Diarmuid Torney – Dublin City University
Simon O’ Rafferty – University of Limerick
Vision: A carbon neutral Ireland by 2050, which is a source for climate information and
solutions.
Thematic goal: Achievement of 2020 targets and to identify and test solutions for achievement
of societal and economic low carbon transformation to 2050.
Research objectives include:
To advance socioeconomic modelling of cross-sectoral greenhouse gas emissions to
2050.
To promote cross disciplinary analysis of effective options for behavioural change in
businesses and households and, for each sector, to identify and assess current and
future mitigation options including technologies.
To bring together diverse research outputs to form a coherent picture of analysis for
Ireland and in so doing, to identify green economy and other opportunities from
international trends in policy and economics.
Models help us assess transformation pathways at sectoral and cross-sectoral levels. Ex-post
analysis of mitigation policies informs development of future options.
Mobilising expertise through cross disciplinary analysis, involving stakeholders, capturing and
advancing know-how and practice in the traded and non-traded sectors, are crucial to
successful mitigation strategies.
General point: The thematic vison and goals were agreed in 2012. The vision of a carbon neutral
Ireland by 2050 was ahead of its time, an update to reflect inter alia the new national transition
objective would be useful. It is also suggested that the theme could be widened to include
‘climate resilience’.
It was noted that Ireland is still not on track to meet EU targets or national objectives and
therefore continued efforts are required through theme 3 to identify and develop solutions.
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Key messages from the discussion
Technical solutions to significantly reduce emissions and enhance sinks exist but are not
sufficiently implemented. Barriers to progress exist both at the level of behaviour of
individuals, business and communities and at the level of government and policy where inertia
is apparent. Research needs to focus on blockages or obstacles to rapid low carbon transition.
Discussion among panellists and the audience identified three key areas for future focus of
research under theme three and finally some points regarding research funding.
Research & knowledge gap(s) & cross, trans, multi-disciplinary opportunity(ies)
1. Just transition: A key blockage to action and ambition on the low carbon transition is
concerns about the cost of action and on whom that cost falls. Low carbon solutions
and technologies are often more easily accessible to certain socioeconomic groups or
certain communities. For example, electric vehicles and residential energy efficiency
retrofits require access to a level of capital, while public transport is not an available
option for many rural dwellers. On the other hand, less affluent and marginalised
socioeconomic groups and communities are often most impacted by fuel poverty and
poor indoor air quality and may lose income or cheap home heating options in a low
carbon transition. These inequalities need to be addressed and seen to be addressed
(just transition) to solidify public support for climate action.
Research should look at systems for participation to ensure that no communities are
left behind. This would involve disciplines such as sociology and climate
communications research for effective and meaningful engagement with communities.
It will also be important to research the practical steps to look at measures that can
address inequalities or marginalisation.
There is significant existing research in other policy areas looking at how to address
inequalities and marginalisation. Applying this existing work in the new area of climate
and just transition will be important.
2. Operationalising research and improving policy design: Research should inform
improved policy development and design to address climate change. Policy
development should be informed by experience and international best practice from a
variety of countries. Public innovation can come from rich and poor countries. Data on
the costs and effectiveness of previous and existing policies and measures should be
examined and the behavioural dimension also needs to be explored. Insights from
sociology and psychology should be applied to climate policy.
Research has a role in identifying lessons learned. Research should not stop with
academic papers. More effort is needed to operationalise research; insights from
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research and solutions developed from research should be employed or implemented
by government, society and business. Co-design of policy and measures, for example
policy-makers working directly with researchers or the public (beyond the existing
public consultation model of engagement), is an important strategy for improving
policy design. This concept can be applied through research practices but can also be
the subject of research to consider the most effective means for co-design of policy.
Finally, research into technological solutions still has an important role.
3. Modelling as a tool: Models are important tools to understand the task we face in
reducing emissions and how cost-effective policies and technologies will be to cut
emissions. A lot of progress has been made in recent years on developing capacity in
Ireland for techno-economic modelling of GHG emissions from energy, transport and
agriculture. Notable advances in research were made developing the Irish TIMES
modelling framework and the GAINS Ireland model. We can model emissions scenarios
in the energy sector out to 2050 and we can model interactions of climate and air
policies and measures. However, this research capacity is not durable without long
term support.
More research is required to incorporate new findings on behaviour and new
technological developments into the models. While the models can handle technical
interactions within market and infrastructural constraints, they do not represent
behavioural and societal drivers very well. More research is required to model market
transformations such as energy as a service or wide-scale deployment of distributed
energy generation and storage systems. SEAI, Teagasc and the National Transport
Authority also made progress in developing an energy modelling framework and
regional transport models respectively. How these can work together with research to
inform a cross-sectoral view of transition pathways will be a key demand.
Infrastructure gap(s) & practice(s) for review, (research funding practices):
1. It takes time to build research infrastructure to a level where it can provide useful input
into policy arena. It is important that funding structures reflect this long time frame. It
was noted that inter-disciplinary work is important for developing useful insights.
However, existing research administrative processes can act as a barrier to having a big
team of collaborators on a project rather than a single full time researcher.
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Climate Theme 4: Air Science
Chair Michael Young – Dept. of Communications, Climate Action & Environment
Scene setter John McEntagart – Environmental Protection Agency
Panel William Smith – University College Dublin
Darius Ceburnis – National University of Ireland Galway
Andrew Kelly – APEnvEcon
Vision: Achievement of clean air and co-benefits for climate, health, environment and society.
Thematic goal: To inform pathways for achievement of highest air quality standards in Ireland
and advance integrated assessment of air pollution, short life climate forcers, and other wider
environmental issues.
Research objectives include:
To advance analyses of emissions, transport and removal of air pollutants and increase
understanding and awareness of the impacts of air pollutants.
To improve national inventories and projections of emissions over a wide range of
pollutants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
To identify and promote emissions abatement options which can enable Ireland to
achieve the highest air quality standards.
Topic areas include attribution of air pollutant emissions to economic sectors in order
to inform effective actions and improvement of inventory and Projections of emissions
under National Emissions Ceilings Directive (NECD) and CLRTAP/Gothenburg.
Smart systems are increasingly providing information at a range of temporal and spatial scales
across key terrestrial, atmospheric and oceanic domains and at city and local scales. These
challenge data processing and management systems.
However, they can provide information that is essential to better decision making or in warning
or alert systems. This aim is to further develop Ireland as a platform for advanced observation
systems which are integrated via systems models into decision support and management
systems.
General point:
Key messages from the discussion
Research & knowledge gap(s):
1. Emission factors (PM and NOx) from domestic solid fuel appliances are very high for all
solid fuels types (fossil and biomass). While on an industrial scale it is practicable to
control PM levels (and at very large industrial scales control both PM and NOx levels) it
Issued 15 January 2018 14Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium
is not at the domestic level. The effective and efficient operation of domestic solid fuel
appliances is dominated by users’ behaviour.
2. Irish studies identify residential solid fuels as a significant contributor of air pollution.
While peat may be culturally important in Ireland a change is needed. Solid biomass is
emerging as a fuel of concern too, as there are few standards for their production and
use.
Infrastructure gap(s):
1. A multi-disciplinary approach is required for policy research. Access to activity data is a
big challenge in this regard. There are numerous data sources held by agencies but
these are not accessible to researchers for research. It is not just high value stations
that are of importance, but also background trend data. Access to spatially resolved
health data is a big challenge. Data Protection Regulations make researchers very
nervous about such data. This is likely to slow down research due to the time taken to
access such data and that the challenge needs to be recognised. There is a strong desire
from both the research community and end users to address this issue.
Practice(s) for review:
1. This theme needs to have a great emphasis on links between climate, air quality and
human health.
2. The EPA’s funding model does not support big inter-disciplinary teams. Can projects be
larger, longer term and more flexible?
Issued 15 January 2018 15Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium Appendix I: Attendance as signed in First Name Surname Representing Mark Adamson Office of Public Works Anne Bennett University of Limerick Paul Bolger University College Cork Evan Boyle University College Cork Pat Brereton Dublin City University Laura Burke Environmental Protection Agency Susan Byrne University of Limerick Elia Cantoni i Gomez Trinity College Dublin Faye Carroll Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Darius Ceburnis University College Galway Anne-Marie Clarke Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Barry Colleary National Transport Authority John Connolly Dublin City University Lucy Corcoran Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Abigail Cronin University College Cork Matthew Crowe Environmental Protection Agency Jonathan Derham Environmental Protection Agency Margaret Desmond University College Cork Patrick Fournet Met Éireann Meabh Gallagher Trinity College Dublin Bernard Hyde Environmental Protection Agency Mike Jones Trinity College Dublin Aideen Kelly Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - NI Ina Kelly Health Service Executive Andrew Kelly EnvEcon Marc Kierans Environmental Protection Agency Gary Lanigan Teagasc Breanna Larsen EnvEcon Paul Leahy University College Cork Axle Leahy University College Galway George Lee Raidió Teilifís Éireann Ian Lumley An Taisce Kevin Lynch University College Galway Issued 15 January 2018 16
Summary of the proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency climate research symposium
First Name Surname Representing
Jennifer McElwain Trinity College Dublin
John McEntagart Environmental Protection Agency
Francis McGovern Environmental Protection Agency
Arlene McGowan Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - NI
Alastair McKinstry Irish Centre for High-End Computing
Paul Melia Irish Independent
Jeanne Moore National Economic and Social Council
John Muldowney Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Conor Murphy University College Maynooth
Department of Communications, Climate Action and
Denis Naughten TD
Environment
Paul Nolan Irish Centre for High-End Computing
Barry O’Dwyer University College Cork
Kevin O’Sullivan Irish Times
Phillip O'Brien Environmental Protection Agency
James O'Brien Central Statistics Office
International Center for Research on Environment and
Eoin O'Broin
Development
Department of Communications, Climate Action and
Sean O'Leary
Environment
Department of Communications, Climate Action and
John O'Neill
Environment
Simon O'Rafferty University of Limerick
Gemma O'Reilly Environmental Protection Agency
Eleanor O'Rourke Marine Institute
John Redmond Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Fionn Rogan University College Cork
Paraic Ryan University College Cork
Tara Shine Tara Shine Consulting
William Smith University College Dublin
David Timoney University College Dublin
Diarmuid Torney Dublin City University
Saji Varghese Met Éireann
Seamus Walsh Met Éireann
Clare Watson University College Cork
Alice Wemaere Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Communications, Climate Action and
Michael Young
Environment
Issued 15 January 2018 17You can also read
