Case Studies

1. Case Studies Sustainable Development

2. Waste Disposal in Cork City • CCC manage waste 43,000+ houses • 1t waste produced by each house pa • Collection + disposal costs €4.5m pa • 2005: pay per bin introduced, while bags given for recyclables • 50% decrease since 2005 in waste put out for collection • €1m reduction in bin tags • Bin collections became fortnightly • Kinsale Road landfill give extra 2 years • Cork City will have to use Rossmore landfill at Carrigtwohill soon, after Kinsale closes • Incineration will need to be considered

3. Reducing environmental impact of economic activities • Kyoto Protocol, aims to reduce air pollution causing global warming • Agreement requires countries to cut emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases • 141 countries approved to reduce emissions by 5.2% • US has not ratified • Ireland long way from reducing ghg emissions to 2012 target • Our levels have increased 23% since 1990, 10% above allowed increase • 2007: components of KP set out • Agreed limit beyond which CO2 emissions should not rise • Emission targets for all countries according to responsibility and development needs • Global Carbon Market and trading system • Focus on research and development, energy efficiency and adaptation

4. Mayo Gas Terminal Development • Conflict between need to develop natural resources and protect safety of people in the resource development area. • Corrib gas field: 70km offshore from Mayo coast • About 20 year lifetime, supply 60% of gas needs • Shell Statoil + Marathon investing €900 m in developing onshore gas terminal and pipeline • Building terminal will create 500+ jobs and 50+ permanent jobs • Locals concerned that pipeline too close to homes and roads • Proposed pipeline only 70m from some houses, should be 750m • Corrib Consortium refused to refine gas offshore • Conflict over lack of money going to local community and lack of foresight of locals to exploiting a natural resource • 2005, 5 landowners jailed for blocking access to site for 90 days • Safety review of project carried out by an international team of inspectors and mediator appointed to reach agreement between locals and consortium • 2006: Corrib agreed to re – route pipeline and gas terminal • Jan 2007: EPA announced it would grant a licence to the company based on 85 conditions, and in Feb said it was satisfied that terminal would not adversely affect health and environment

5. Deforestation in Amazon • Brazilian Amazon contains 40% of world’s remaining tropical rainforest • Important ‘Sink’ for CO2 • 2001:Brazilian govt announced plans for Avanca Brasil • US $40b plan to replace much of Amazon with 10,000km of roads, hydroelectrical dams, reservoirs, power lines, mines, gas and oilfields, canals, ports, logging concessions • Conflict: Environmental scientists predict plan will mean 42% of region will be deforested or degraded, less than 5% will survive in pristine condition, destruction could increase 25% pa, loss of rainforest could affect global warming • Brazilian govt determined to develop its resources for its people and don’t want to listen to the Northern environmentalists • Brazil’s economic situation means that it can’t afford to implement all of the developments. • International and public opinion has forced govt to submit programme to Environmental Impact Assessment