Country fails to hit targets on carbon emission reductions

CARBON emissions were reduced by just 3.6% last year – less than the 4% decrease in 2019, despite Ireland being under Covid lockdowns.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said it ‘demonstrates the scale of the climate challenge that lies ahead’.

Provisional figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that last year’s emissions reduction was far off the 7% annual target set out in the Government’s Climate Action Plan to secure a 51% decrease by 2030.

The EPA said Ireland’s 2020 greenhouse gas emissions were only 7% below 2005 levels. The target for 2020 was a 20% reduction. While transport emissions saw the largest reduction, of 15.7%, residential emissions increased by 9%.

Green Party leader Mr Ryan said greenhouse gas emissions ‘were clearly impacted’ by Covid measures but admitted Ireland would be unlikely to meet overall EU 2020 targets.

The Labour Party said the figures proved the Government is ‘kicking the can’ on climate action. The party’s climate spokesperson, Ivana Bacik TD, accused the Government of showing ‘little sense of urgency or the grand vision necessary to tackle climate change’ in the recent budget. EPA figures indicate that Ireland exceeded its 2020 annual EU emissions allocation by 6.7million tonnes.

However, Ireland’s electricity carbon intensity dropped to its lowest level because of the reduction in peat use for electricity generation.

Minister Ryan said it is important to introduce new policies to tackle rising emissions in the agricultural sector – the single largest contributor to emissions – after they increased by 1.4% in 2020, having decreased slightly in 2019.

The Irish Farmers’ Association insisted there is already work under way to reduce farms’ emissions and said they would need Government support to adopt new practices.

The Government will publish its Climate Action Plan 2021 in the coming weeks.