Brian Keegan: Ireland borrowed billions to fight Covid. How much are we willing to borrow to protect our people from climate change?

The analysis of the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in this country in 2020 better describes the scale of the environmental challenge than offers hope of progress 

It seems that the crippling misery of last year’s lockdowns only achieved the same scale of reduction in carbon emissions that the Government is planning for us to achieve each year. File picture: John Giles/PA

Last week's report from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has been described as a silver lining to the dark cloud of Covid-19. However, their analysis of the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in this country in 2020 better describes the scale of the environmental challenge than offers hope of progress. 

Ireland’s 2020 greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be almost 6% lower overall due to the pandemic. There have been particular reductions from transport, estimated at over two million tonnes of Co2 equivalent than 2019, a decline of almost 17%.