Ireland's action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions 'insufficient', report finds

Ireland is currently ranked the second highest across the EU for emissions per person. Picture: Clare Keogh

Some 16 of the 20 warmest years in Ireland have occurred since 1990, while almost half (47%) of Ireland’s first carbon budget has been emitted in just 40% of the budget period.

That is according to Ireland’s first Climate Change Assessment Report  which warned the country remains heavily dependent (86%) on fossil fuels while current action remains “insufficient”.

The landmark report, which was led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was developed by leading academics and officials in Ireland and warned Ireland is ill-adapted for future impacts of climate change.

It is the first comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the state of knowledge around all key aspects of climate change, with a central focus on Ireland.

It says since their peak in 2001, Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced in all sectors except agriculture.

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Despite this, Ireland is currently ranked the second highest across the EU for emissions per person and although a legal basis is now in place for deep, rapid, and sustained national emissions cuts, “current policy and action remain insufficient to meet these aims”, it reads.

The report, which will support the national response to climate change, says Ireland has made “limited progress” in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to date and “there is a long way to go”.

“Currently deployed policies and actions are insufficient and Ireland is not presently on track to meet these statutory greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. 

"Greenhouse gas emission estimates for 2021 and 2022 indicate that 47% of Ireland’s first carbon budget has been emitted within 40% of the budget’s time frame (two years of the five-year budget period),” it reads.

The report notes recent extreme weather events in Ireland have highlighted the vulnerability of individuals, communities and sectors to climate change.

The assessment, which is informed by the best available science, found the current implementation of adaptation to protect the country from future climate change impacts is “too slow and fragmented”.

It notes recent extreme weather events in Ireland have highlighted the vulnerability of individuals, communities and sectors to climate change, indicating an “adaptation deficit”.

Based on various projections, an early and rapid global action on reducing emissions would likely leave Ireland with a climate that is still “broadly recognisable” in comparison to today.

However, it warns delayed action could see Ireland with an increasingly unrecognisable climate, with a potential temperature increase of 2.77C by the end of the century.

Intense rain would also become more frequent and extreme, with further warming in most regions of Ireland.

The report notes storm surges and extreme waves will also pose an “ever-increasing” threat to Ireland, as sea levels continue to rise.

It warns Ireland is “highly exposed” to sea level rise as all major cities and many regional towns are located close to the coast.

Global sea level has risen by 0.2m since 1900, however, recent studies have highlighted higher rates of sea level rise than the global average in Cork and Dublin since the late 20th century.

“Truly extreme heat events” that are rare in the current climate are projected to become more common in all scenarios, it reads.

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The assessment provides a picture of where Ireland is in its response to the climate emergency and provides insights on the scale of the challenge for Ireland to become climate-neutral and climate-resilient.

EPA director general Laura Burke said the report represented a “major contribution” to our understanding of the impacts and challenges experienced and posed by climate change in Ireland.

It reinforces the need for Ireland to pick up the pace of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to our changed and future climate.

“If we can reach net zero global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, then many of the key components of the climate system such as temperature and precipitation would stabilise within the lifetime of many of today’s younger citizens and to the benefit of all of society,” she said.

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