Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
123. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual report on carbon emissions; and his views, in particular, on the report’s analysis showing that emissions targets will not be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36830/23]
View answerThe EPA's report regarding provisional data for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the period 1990 to 2022, shows that Ireland's emissions fell by 1.2% in 2022, compared to 2021 levels. This reduction was driven by higher fuel prices, reduced use of nitrogen fertiliser, increased renewable energy, behavioural change, and regulation, with reductions observed in our Agriculture, Industry, Energy and Residential sectors.
While the overall emissions reductions fall short of what is required to meet our Carbon Budgets, they do show that we can – as a country – turn the tide on the climate crisis. The reduction for 2022 demonstrates that we can reverse the previous trajectory of emissions, and decouple them from economic activity.
The report indicates that we have now used almost half of our Carbon Budget for the period 2021 to 2025 in the first 2 years. This means that we need to ramp up decarbonisation in the coming years to stay within our Carbon Budgets and meet our 2030 and 2050 targets
The 2023 Climate Action Plan sets out our response to the climate crisis; detailing the roadmap of policies, measures and actions we will deliver in support of our climate commitments and emissions reduction targets.
The next iteration of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan, due to for publication by the end of this year, will update the policies, measures and actions needed. It will take account of the latest emissions reports, and will accelerate and amplify our climate action.
