Green Country Profile: Ireland
Ironically, green is probably the first colour you think of when Ireland comes to mind. But their four leaf clovers and St. Patrick’s day regalia aren’t the only reason Ireland is synonymous with with this colour.
This year, the world is poised to make some environmental leaps, under the guidance of the United Nations. The UN has declared 2012 to be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, and set a three pronged goal: universal access to modern energy services, better rates of energy efficiency, and expanded use of renewable energy sources by 2030.
So how is Ireland keeping up?
-Green investment fund assets managed out of Ireland have increased more than 200% in the past couple years to €2.3billion.
-There are asset managers working out of Dublin alone working on 30+ international green funds.
-Ireland became one of the first countries to recognize forest carbon credits in tax legislation (Finance Bill 2012).
-The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin has added a wing called the Green IFSC Initiative which aims to thrust Ireland into green economy stardom. This initiative has three pillars: green finance, carbon management, and education/talent. They have set aside €600,000 for an investment in sustainable finance education.
-Education: Dublin City University announced in Fall 2011 that they are offering Ireland’s first post-graduate course in sustainable finance; the University College Dublin announced last month that it will be offering a master’s degree in energy and environmental finance; and The Institute of Bankers is now offering a diploma in green energy management and finance.
-Out of the 80-100 new start-ups that Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start Up unit supports, approximately ⅓ are clean-tech start-ups.
Via SiliconRepublic
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Photo courtesy of IrishFireside
