Fall in greenhouse gas emissions by agriculture offset by rises in Irish households, new data shows

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector also saw emissions fall for the third year in a row, down 1.6%, or 0.3m tonnes. File picture: Andy Gibson

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions fell slightly by 0.5% in 2024, with falls in agricultural and industry emissions offset by rises from households and services.

The Central Statistics Office published its data for emissions for 2024 which, it said, differed from the statistics compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency as it includes transport emissions by Irish residents abroad and removes the same emissions by non-residents here.

It calculates our emissions by “resident units”, which its statistician Clare O’Hara said were either households or businesses that have engaged in economic activity for at least one year here.

“Emissions from resident units, especially from international transport, may occur abroad,” she said.

The CSO said greenhouse gas emissions from the industry sector fell for the third year in a row by about 0.9m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 5.6%.

This was mainly due to decreases in emissions from electricity generation and cement production, it said.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector also saw emissions fall for the third year in a row, down 1.6%, or 0.3m tonnes.

And, after falling in 2023, emissions from households rose by 0.3m tonnes, or 2.8%. This was largely due to increases in emissions from household heating, according to the CSO.

The services sector, meanwhile, saw emissions increase by 2.4%, or 0.6m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This was mainly due to a rise in emissions from aviation.

This sector also had the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions by “resident units” in Ireland in 2024, at 34% of the total, and again this was driven by transport activities such as international aviation and maritime transport.

This contrasts with the EPA figures, which suggested Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2% in 2024.

The EPA, among others, has repeatedly pointed out we are not reducing emissions at the necessary scale or pace to achieve either our national commitments or EU targets.

It has also said some sectors face greater challenges than others in terms of decarbonising, such as agriculture and transport.