The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that Ireland is falling short of its legally binding emissions reduction targets for 2030, despite the Government’s Climate Action Plan. The latest greenhouse gas projections show sectoral emissions exceeding ceilings in agriculture, electricity, industry, and transport.
The EPA’s Director-General, Laura Burke, emphasized the need for faster implementation of measures and scaling up the transition to achieve required reductions across all sectors. The report highlights gaps in existing policies, such as the lack of concrete plans to increase petrol and diesel prices to promote behavioral change in transportation.
In the agriculture sector, implementing climate-related measures like covered slurry stores and methane reduction techniques could lead to an 18% reduction in emissions by 2030. Similarly, increasing biofuels in transport and promoting electric vehicles could potentially result in a 26% cut in emissions.
Overall, the EPA stresses the importance of accelerating the delivery of renewable technologies, adopting emission reduction strategies, and taking action to reduce emissions from land to meet Ireland’s emissions targets.