The Government’s new climate action plan sets out more than 180 actions, together with hundreds of “sub-actions”, needed for transformational change across the economy and society to accelerate moves to a decarbonised Ireland.
It provides unprecedented detail on the steps needed in every relevant sector: electricity, industry, enterprise, housing, heating, transport, agriculture, waste and the public sector. It applies sectoral emissions ceilings set by the independent Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC),dictated by the overall aim of halving emissions by the end of the decade. This comes with the stick of legally-binding targets backed by the over-arching discipline imposed by carbon budgets running up to 2030.
There is no lack of ambition and the weaknesses of the climate response up to now are frankly acknowledged, as is the need to concentrate efforts on implementation to address the ongoing gap between ambition and delivery when it comes to climate commitments.
To the Government’s credit, it spells out where the boldest steps are urgently needed – in transport with its surging post-Covid emissions; in agriculture with a persistent methane problem; and in the built environment, where heat inefficiency is all too prevalent. Roadmaps for sustained decarbonisation are set out for these sectors and others. In renewables, there are ambitious targets for offshore wind and solar power with the prospect of energy independence. Here, too, there are big question marks over capacity to deliver.
The plan prioritises what is required for a climate resilient Ireland in light of global emissions projections and the heightened risk of more frequent extreme weather events and sea-level rise. But, as noted by climate scientist Prof Peter Thorne, “there is now an urgent need to prioritise adaptation actions so that the resilience and health of our ecosystems, infrastructure, land, water, biodiversity and communities is enhanced”.
Despite the progress evident in the new climate plan, the remaining gap of “unallocated emissions reductions” is a substantial concern, the CCAC has warned. It is imperative that a roadmap to close this gap be completed expeditiously. Equally, short-term measures that can have an immediate impact on emissions while improving the quality of peoples’ lives must be prioritised while protecting those who are vulnerable. Over the longer term, we simply must reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Ultimately, speed of delivery of the most critical policies and measures must urgently increase. Failure to do so will inevitably mean this plan will join it s predecessors in looking good on paper but failing to catalyse the scale of transformation that is essential to building a sustainable Ireland to protect its people and the planet.