Ireland is set to dramatically under-shoot its promised CO2 emissions by 2030. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), instead of a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by that year, Ireland is set to see only a 29 per cent reduction.
We need to speed up
The transport sector was singled out, alongside agriculture and electricity generation, as being one of those most exceeding its proposed emissions. EPA director general Laura Burke told The Irish Times: “Full delivery of all climate action plans and policies could deliver a 29 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is well short of both our European and national emission reduction targets and highlights the scale of effort required to achieve the required reductions across all sectors of our economy. The key priority must be to translate the aspiration in our policies and plans to implementation on the ground. Transitioning to a low-carbon society is building momentum in Ireland. We see this with more electric vehicles on our roads, renewable electricity powering our homes and adoption of new farm practices. However, we need to speed up and scale up the transition.”
In response to the EPA’s figures, Fuels For Ireland, the umbrella organisation representing fuel importers, refiners, distributors, and retailers in Ireland, has said that more focus on alternatives to electric power for vehicles would help reduce emissions.
Current strategies failing
Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels for Ireland, told CompleteCar that: “The recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency underscores the critical gaps in our national climate policies and highlights the urgent need for practical, actionable measures. Despite the government's ambitious Climate Action Plan, we are significantly lagging in our emissions reduction targets for 2030. The report’s findings clearly indicate that our current strategies are failing to deliver the necessary outcomes.
“The focus on electrifying the transport sector and retrofitting homes with heat pumps, while commendable in their aspirations, has not delivered the expected emission reductions. The current strategy heavily favours EVs as the primary solution for decarbonising transport. However, the data shows that this approach is not yielding the needed reductions. We need to expand our focus to include advanced, synthetic, and biofuels, which offer immediate and significant emission reductions.”
Heat pumps
McPartlan also noted that the push for heat pumps and deep retrofitting has not met targets. He suggested that a broader strategy that includes low-carbon liquid fuels is essential to address the emissions from home heating effectively.
“Continuing to repeat the same failed policies while expecting different results is a waste of valuable time. Ideology must make way for efficacy. We must adopt a more pragmatic and diversified approach to climate action. This means prioritising practical, scalable solutions that can be implemented quickly and effectively,” said McPartlan. “We urge the government to shift its focus from ideologically driven policies to practical, effective solutions that can be swiftly implemented and scaled up to meet our emissions targets. The time for aspirational planning is over; we need decisive action grounded in practicality to ensure a sustainable and achievable path to reducing our carbon footprint.”