Environment officials clocked up 1,900 flights before pandemic grounded air travel

Civil servants running Ireland’s battle against climate change clocked up over 1,900 flights in the year before the pandemic grounded air travel. 

Civil servants running Ireland’s battle against climate change clocked up over 1,900 flights in the year before the pandemic grounded air travel. 

Information provided to the Irish Examiner revealed air travel with the Government department overseeing climate mitigations measures was on the increase in 2019, the same year a raft of “urgent” initiatives were first announced in the Climate Action Plan.

Published in June 2019, the Government labelled it “Ireland's plan to tackle climate breakdown”.

In language similar to that used by the UN in its recent climate change report, the plan warned that the world was at “a tipping point” and stated that “decarbonisation is now a must”.

'Leading by example'

It called for the public sector to play a "demonstrative role in leading by example”.

Action 152 of the plan referred to the need to “offset the climate effects of official air travel”.

However, in the months leading up to the publication and the months that followed, officials from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications were undertaking more air travel than they had for years.

They went on a total of 1,908 flights that year.

This was up from 1,880 flights in 2018, and 1,750 in 2017.

The Irish Examiner has learned figures have since dropped dramatically, with 2020 at an all-time low due to the pandemic effectively grounding flights. 

A total of 338 flights were undertaken in 2020, the majority of which were between January and March, and 38 flights have been taken in 2021 so far.

“The reduction in flights in 2020 and thus far in 2021 is largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions," said a department spokesperson.

“There was a greater number of flights undertaken in 2019, which were necessary in the course of undertaking department and Government business at that time.

“It should be noted that, at that time as is now the case, the department was and is aware of the need to minimise the incidence of flights where possible, from the perspective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.

“Some official departmental travel will continue to be necessary, as and when circumstances require this.

“However, it’s difficult to project what air travel will be required for the remainder of 2021 and into next year.

It is anticipated, however, that an increasing number of necessary events and meetings will be held online in future.

“This is expected to aid the department in reducing the environmental impact of international departmental work.” 

Six months after the June 17 publication of the 2019 Climate Action Plan, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform informed all Government departments of mandatory new procedures for offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions associated with official air travel.

From January 1, 2020, every Government department had to record the carbon emissions associated with all official air travel in tonnes.

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