The failure to date to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture and transport sectors means Ireland is unlikely to meet its carbon budgets in the coming decade, according to the latest projections from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It says there is “a significant gap between the budgets and projected emissions” and that the current pace they are being reduced at does not meet the recent call by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for “now-or-never” action to combat climate change.
The Government is due to agree sectoral emissions ceilings in coming weeks to apply across the economy up to 2025. The EPA said urgent implementation of “all climate plans and policies, plus further new measures” will be needed for Ireland to have any chance of meeting a legally binding 51 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030.
Laura Burke, the agency’s director general, is to tell the EPA’s annual climate conference on Wednesday: “These projections show the scale of policy development and implementation needed to match the ambition of our Climate Act 2021 and carbon budget targets. There is a significant gap between the ambition in the Climate Act and the realisation of the necessary actions to deliver on that ambition.
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“The data shows a step up in both the implementation of actions already set out in plans and policies and the identification of new measures is needed. All sectors have work to do, in particular the agriculture sector.”
She will say that agriculture is the largest contributor to national emissions and “more clarity is needed on how and when it will implement actions to reduce methane within the ever-shortening timeframe to 2030″.
The projections indicate a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity, particularly in transport, with rising emissions. “This is likely to be exacerbated by a return to higher levels of coal used in electricity generation to meet growing national energy demand and current geopolitical impacts on energy,” the EPA says.
Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan said the figures are a “clear indication we need to double down on implementation of climate action measures”.
He confirmed he would bring recommendations on sectoral emissions ceilings before Cabinet shortly. “It is anticipated that all sectors will find these ceilings challenging. However, we must all strive to ensure the final agreed targets align with the carbon budgets, already approved by the Dáil, and ultimately with the Climate Act 2021,” he added.
