Ireland’s climate targets at risk, says EPA

e Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly published Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions projections for 2022-2040 indicates that Ireland is falling well short of climate targets.

EPA analysis shows that planned climate policies and measures, if fully implemented, could deliver up to 29% reduction by 2030 compared to 2018, a reduction of 4% each year from 2022 to 2030. is is insu cient to achieve the ambition of 51% emissions reduction in Ireland’s Climate Act. e rst two carbon budgets (2021-2030), which aim to support achievement of the 51% emissions reduction goal, are projected to be exceeded by a signi cant margin of between 24 and 34%.

All sectors, except residential buildings, are projected to underperform relative to the sectoral emissions ceilings. Agriculture, electricity, transport and industry sectors are projected to be the furthest from their sectoral ceiling in 2030. e EPA’s Director-General Laura Burke has commented on the results, stating, “Ireland needs to grasp the nettle of climate action so it can realise the signi cant opportunities and social and economic co-bene ts for people, communities and business that can be delivered through innovation and decarbonisation.”

Ms Burke continued, ex- plaining that the country was on course to miss all of its 2030 climate targets “unless all sectors of the economy deliver emission reductions in the short term and sustain this delivery in the future”.

“We’re in the third year of the rst Carbon Budget period, with only seven more years left to 2030. A continued lack of delivery of large-scale practical actions to decarbonise activities in all sectors will see us exceed our carbon budgets,” she added.

Whilst the agricultural sector is predicted to make an emissions reduction between 4 and 20% over 2021-2030, transport’s projections are set at 35% if current policies are implemented. is includes putting over 940,000 electric vehicles on our roads by 2030. Commenting, Stephen Treacy, EPA Senior Manager, said: “ ese projections show that strong economic growth and associated energy demand are eroding the increased ambition in the 2023

Climate Action Plan. is underlines the urgency of moving to an economy and society powered by renewable energy sources. e longer we wait, the longer it will be before we realise the bene ts as the time horizon for achievement of national and EU commitments is getting ever shorter.”

See full detail on the Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2022 to 2040 and EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource on the EPA website.