SOCIAL Democrats Cllr Isobel Towse has said the Council needs to ensure they’re sourcing the HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) used to fuel their vehicles from sustainable sources.
She was commenting after a recent Western Divisional meeting where councillors received an update from the Council’s environment directorate.
‘The Council’s fleet of over 700 vehicles contributes to over 30% of its emissions, thus is an area they are tackling through the introduction of HVO fuels instead of diesel,’ said Cllr Towse.
‘HVO from palm oil contributes to deforestation, which has a significant negative impact on climate change globally, but it can also be made from used cooking oil or rapeseed oil, among other sources.’
County mayor Joe Carroll had queried at the meeting if HVO could be more damaging to the environment than diesel, which he said was something he had heard, but it was clarified this was not the case.
‘In the short term, the Council needs to make sure they’re sourcing HVO from sustainable, verified, credible sources within Europe.
‘This means HVO from waste products, where we can be sure of the supply chain,’ said Cllr Towse.
However, she said it was also about air quality.
‘HVO can reduce PM2.5 emissions from cars by around 50% when replacing diesel. PM2.5 is the pollutant that causes 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland every year due to its impact on air quality. I believe electrification of the fleet could be the best long term solution, especially for smaller vehicles and vans.
‘Electric vehicles drastically reduce PM2.5 leading to vastly cleaner air. In any case, reverting back to diesel would be the worst possible option,’ she stressed.
