At a glance: What is included in the new Climate Action Plan?

Cows for sale at Kilcullen livestock Mart in Co Kildare. File Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The Government has published its revised climate action plan to reduce the country’s carbon emissions by 51% by the end of the decade.

It has set out a plan of how every sector in Ireland will play its part in cutting emissions.

Among the key measures are:

– An increase of renewable electricity by up to 80%, with a mix from offshore and onshore wind and solar power.

– Further measures include increased electricity storage, the deployment of zero-emissions gas and the production of hydrogen for use in other industries.

– Cut electricity use of between 62 and 81%, relative to 2018 levels.

– Transport will see an acceleration of the electrification of road transport, the use of biofuels and a shift to transport modes with lower energy consumption, including walking, cycling, active and public transport.

– Further measures will include a “modal shift” to reduce the overall fossil-fuelled distance undertaken by car by 10%.

– Reaching 845,000 electric vehicles by 2030.

– Reaching 95,000 zero-emissions vans and 3,500 zero-emissions HGVs by 2030

- Replacements for bus and rail to be serviced “green” including 1,500 electric vehicle buses and expanded electrified rail services by 2030.

- Scale up retrofitting and the rollout of district heating in cities and the ramping up of zero-emissions heating in commercial buildings.

– Retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030.

– Reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 50%

– Reducing agriculture emissions by up to 30% by 2030

– Reducing fertiliser use and increasing the use of clover and multi-species swards

– Improving animal breeding and feeding

– Increase organically farmed land almost five-fold to 350,000 hectares.

– Manage emissions from the dairy herd

– Increase afforestation with a new forestry programme to launch in 2023.