Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The enterprise sector has been tasked with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10% to 15% by 2030.

The climate action plan identified that the largest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be realised in the cement and food and beverage industries. An uptake of 80% in the cement industry in using alternative fuels, such as waste, combined with an 80% uptake in a switch from oil to biomass and electricity in the food industry by 2030, would adequately reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the industry target of a reduction of 10% to 15%. Enterprise will also contribute to the ambitious targets for buildings, that is a reduction of 20% to 25% by 2030, as well as a reduction in transport emissions of some 45% to 50% by 2030. That will be done via actions such as improving building energy performance and the replacement, over time, of commercial fleets with electric vehicles.

We are working closely with Enterprise Ireland and it is putting greater emphasis on environmental aid to help businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. Where we are providing finance and support to businesses, through Enterprise Ireland, we can ensure that those companies are making an improvement in their carbon footprint, such as via the use of combined heat and power equipment. It is good for businesses to improve and reduce their energy costs and to explore more initiatives to enable them be more environmentally-friendly. That makes sense.

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