Where Does Ireland Stand?

When it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the energy usage of Ireland’s built environment, the primary users of energy and contributors to GHG emissions are the residential, commercial and public service sectors. These are significant final energy users and, therefore, are a crucial focus for GHG emissions reductions in the government’s Climate Action Plan.

When looking at the energy usage in the built environment, we also need to consider the energy/carbon required to construct buildings and their associated materials.

View more information in our Embodied Carbon page.

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan

Ireland’s recent Climate Action Plan 2019 and Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, along with the Programme for Government, that demonstrate a firm commitment by the government to achieve tangible results for Ireland.

The new Climate Action Bill provides a framework for Ireland to reduce GHG emissions by 51% by 2030 and become independent in energy production by 2050.

It is ironic that 100 years ago, 1921, during the coal strike in England and Wales that calls went out for Ireland to become fuel independent. Now in 2021, there is a real opportunity to achieve this.

The main characteristics of the Climate Action Plan include:

Electricity

70% Electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030.
Phase out Coal and Peat electricity generation.
Homeowners to generate their own electricity and sell back to the grid under scheme for micro-generation

Buildings

500,000 existing homes to upgrade to ‘B2’ equivalent BER by 2030
600,000 heat pumps installed by 2030 (of which 400,000 will be in existing buildings)
New retrofitting delivery model, which will group retrofits together, leverage smart finance and ensure easy pay-back methods

Transport

Increase the number of EVs by 2030 to circa 1,000,000
Build EV charging network to stay ahead of demand
Expand our network of cycle paths and ‘Park and Ride’ facilities helping ease congestion
No diesel-only purchases for public buses in our cities from 1 July 2019

Agriculture

Deliver GHG emissions reduction identified by Teagasc by creating new sustainable opportunities for family farms
8,000 ha on average of newly planted forest per year
40,000 ha at least, of improved grasslands on drained organic soils per year

Waste and Circular Economy

Reduce the percentage of municipal waste sent to landfill to 10% by 2035
Reduce food waste by 50% by 2030
By 2030 recycle 70% of packaging waste
Recycle 55% of plastic packaging waste
Eliminate non-recyclable plastic and impose higher fees on the production of materials that are difficult to recycle
Ban specific single use plastic convenience items including polystyrene food, cup and drink containers

Citizens & Communities

Engage communities across the country through:

Establishing a community outreach programme
Driving action through the National Dialogue on Climate Action
Increase the number of Sustainable Energy Communities to 1,500
Develop flagship low-carbon projects in all local authorities
Establish a Just Transition Review Group – which will identify specific transition needs among cohorts of workers, enterprises, communities and specific groups of people

Enterprise & Services

Embed decarbonisation and waste management measures across all enterprises and public service bodies
Mobilise low carbon centres of excellence in our regions and across sectors
Plan for the delivery of quality employment and enterprise in the new areas of opportunity

Public Sector

Reduce emissions from the public sector by 30% by 2030
Every public body will adopt a Mandate for climate action in 2019
Improve energy efficiency of public sector buildings by 50% by 2030

International Action

Double the percentage of Overseas Development Aid spending on climate finance by 2030

The be Enshrined in Law

Carbon proofing all government decisions and major investments
Climate action delivery board overseen by the Taoiseach to monitor delivery
Strong accountability to an Oireachtas Climate action Committee

Carbon Pricing

Trajectory of Carbon Pricing to create behaviour changing incentives and avoid locking in carbon intensive technologies
5 year carbon budget – independent climate action council to recommend the Carbon budget and evaluate policy