Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) assessment shows that Ireland's efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions must must accelerate in line with our successive national Climate Action Plans and European commitments. There is an urgent need for us to decarbonise our energy sector and reduce our agricultural emissions. Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP24), which was approved by Government in December 2023, sets out the policies, measures and actions to achieve these necessary transitions in a just and fair way that maximises our future economic opportunities.

In the energy sector, the focus is on accelerating and increasing the deployment of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels, with a target 9 GW of onshore wind, 8 GW of solar, and at least 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, while developing an associated industrial development strategy. Significant progress is already being made to establish our offshore wind generation infrastructure - the CCPI experts highlighted Ireland's successful offshore wind energy auction which will see four projects produce enough clean indigenous electricity to power more than 2.5 million homes. Alongside expanding our renewable energy capacity, the Plan includes measures aimed at strengthening our grid and phasing out the use of coal and peat.

This Government is also taking a number of significant measures to reduce our agricultural emissions. Measures in CAP24 include reducing our chemical nitrogen fertiliser use, increasing the adoption of inhibited urea, improved animal feeding and the diversification of our agricultural sector. Furthermore, Ireland has set goals to increase organic farming from 75,000 to 450,000 hectares by 2030, and to increase tillage to 400,000 hectares by 2030. These measures will ensure the sustainability of our agriculture and food processing industries into the future, maintaining and growing rural incomes and employment.

In addition to the latest Climate Action Plan, Ireland’s ambitious climate policy is also reflected in the Long-term Strategy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions, which was approved by Government and published in April 2023. An updated version, to align with the latest climate data and projections and with the detailed pathways to 2030 set out in Climate Action Plan 2024, will be finalised in Q1 of this year. The updated strategy will be the first national long-term climate strategy to be prepared in line with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015 to 2021. As the updated strategy will conform to both EU and national requirements, it will also be submitted to the EU Commission and UNFCCC.

The impact of Ireland's strengthened climate policy is becoming evident, with the most recent data from the EPA showing a decrease of almost 2% in Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 compared to 2021. Key factors behind the decrease include the shift a substantial increase in renewable energy deployment driving a 16% drop in emissions from electricity.

While the downward trend is welcome, it is clear that we need to move faster and intensify our efforts to drive emissions down further, and the CCPI assessment helps to highlight the urgent need for accelerated implementation of our climate policies.