Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a report, stating that Ireland will not meet its emission targets, with almost all sectors on track to exceed their ceilings for 2025 and 2030.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions projections for 2022-2040, which were published this morning, shows that Agriculture, Electricity Transport and Industry are all way off course from meeting their emissions targets.

The report demonstrates how Ireland currently does not have the policies in place to meet its bigger climate commitments.

The report’s current predictions sees Ireland achieve a reduction of 29% in GHG by 2030- a stark contrast to the original target of 51%.

In addition to this, the 29% prediction will only be achieved by 2030 if Ireland’s measures as outlined in its 2023 Climate Action Plan are fully implemented. So far, a number of these actions are not yet backed by policies.

Currently, the only sector still on track to meets its original reduction is residential buildings.

Ireland’s electricity, transport, industry & agriculture sectors are all set to exceed their GHG emission limits for 2025 and 2030.
Our carbon goals for 2025 & 2030 will not be met, they won’t even be close.
EPA's GHG emissions projections for 2022-2040: https://t.co/LmaRzUj3Si pic.twitter.com/8p9xrdKTPw

— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) June 2, 2023

The EPA’s Director-General Laura Burke has commented on the results, stating, “Ireland needs to grasp the nettle of climate action so it can realise the significant opportunities and social and economic co-benefits for people, communities and business that can be delivered through innovation and decarbonisation.”

Ms Burke continued, explaining that the country was on course to miss all of its 2030 climate targets “unless all sectors of the economy deliver emission reductions in the short term and sustain this delivery in the future”.

“We’re in the third year of the first Carbon Budget period, with only seven more years left to 2030. A continued lack of delivery of large-scale practical actions to decarbonise activities in all sectors will see us exceed our carbon budgets,” she added.

Whilst the agricultural sector is predicted to make an emissions reduction between 4 and 20% over 2021-2030, transport’s projections are set at 35% if current policies are implemented. This includes putting over 940,000 electric vehicles on our roads by 2030.