More than a quarter of Climate Action Plan targets missed

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said the actions achieved so far in the 2021 Climate Action Plan 'set us on the right path towards emissions reduction, but will also lead to a number of social and economic benefits for people across Ireland'.

More than a quarter of the measures set down in the Government's Climate Action Plan have not been met on time.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said there is now a need "redouble our efforts" to create a cleaner, more sustainable, and climate neutral Ireland, richer in biodiversity, for future generations.

"The Climate Action Plan is working towards that goal of more resilient and liveable villages, towns, coasts, countryside and cities. We must now further build up capacity to meet the challenges of climate action and close gaps on delivery across the system," Mr Martin said, following the publication of the first progress report on the Climate Action Plan 2021.

While 84% of measures which were set down for the final quarter of last year delivered, just 59% of the 191 actions earmarked for the first three months of this year were completed on time, giving an overall completion rate of 73%.

However, many of these measures are expected to be completed by the second quarter of this year.

Among the measures that have been delayed is a review of planning guidelines for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; the introduction of interim regulations amending solar panel planning exemptions; and the development of a roadmap for greater use of lower-carbon building materials.

The Government has also failed to finalise Ireland’s long-term climate strategy and has yet to publish a new public sector decarbonisation strategy.

A number of reasons for the delays have been cited, including administrative and capacity constraints; desires for alignment with other measures; technical complexity; stakeholder consultation and the pace of the legislative process.

The report underscores the need to overcome these delays in keeping with the urgency of emissions reduction efforts, legally binding carbon budgets and soon-to-be agreed sectoral emissions ceilings that will set specific emissions limits on sectors.

These new ceilings, and accompanying actions, will be reflected in the Climate Action Plan 2023, due to be published later this year. The implementation challenges highlighted in this progress report provide valuable lessons in the development of the 2023 Climate Action Plan.

However, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said the actions achieved so far in the 2021 Climate Action Plan "set us on the right path towards emissions reduction, but will also lead to a number of social and economic benefits for people across Ireland".

"This includes more secure energy supplies; better connected transport; warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes; lower energy bills; more sustainable food supplies; greater biodiversity protection; and new job opportunities and resilient incomes for rural and urban communities," Mr Ryan said.

Among the measures delivered is a national retrofit scheme; the rollout of carbon budgets; and the commencement of works to restore 33,000 hectares of peatlands to act as carbon sinks across 81 bogs owned by Bord na Móna.

Separately, Met Éireann is to lead a new National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS).

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien got approval on Thursday for the establishment of the body as the Government has acknowledged there is a growing demand for high-quality climate information to support climate-sensitive decision-making and ensure that Ireland is weather and climate prepared for the impacts of climate change.

Climate services are a way of translating the vast volumes of climate model prediction data into information that can be more easily used to make informed decisions.