Stephen Cadogan: Tracking the public's knowledge of climate change

Large minorities do not understand the human-caused nature of climate change. Picture: Dan Linehan

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 36% of the Irish people who are most knowledgeable about climate change identify agriculture as Ireland’s largest source of the pollution that causes climate change.

EPA figures show agriculture as the largest contributor to overall emissions, accounting for 37.8%. The transport and energy industries are 21.4% and 14.3%, respectively. Residential and manufacturing combustion emissions account for 9.7% and 7.5%, respectively. These five sectors accounted for 90.7% of total national emissions in 2023.