Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 April 2023
198. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the extent to which Ireland's emissions have been reduced in the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20167/23]
View answerThe final 1990-2021 inventory data, updated by the Environmental Protection Agency this month, indicates that between 2011 and 2021, Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions increased by 5.5%, from 58.85 Mt CO2eq. to 62.11 Mt CO2eq. While emissions in 2021 were lower than the peak years of 2016 - 2018, they did show an increase from 2020.
It is clear that we must redouble our efforts to reduce emissions in line with the Government's agreed Sectoral Emissions Ceilings. Climate Action Plan 2023, and the associated Annex of Actions, set out a roadmap for meeting our emissions targets.
To reverse the current trajectory of emissions and meet our targets, Climate Action Plan 2023 considers how we can accelerate the measures and actions that will not only reduce our emissions but will also support new ways of conducting business and encouraging innovation, by putting climate solutions at the centre of Ireland’s social and economic development.
