Transport and Climate Change

In response to the challenges of climate change, achieving a cost-effective way of reducing emissions is the key priority. Ensuring that transport infrastructure and services will be able to withstand the likely future impacts of climate change is also a serious concern.

Climate Change mitigation is defined in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 as ‘any human intervention aimed at reducing harmful influences on the earth’s climate system, including action aimed at reducing emissions and creating or enhancing sinks’. Ireland's first National Mitigation Plan was published by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Climate Action in 2017 and represented an initial step on a pathway to achieve the level of decarbonisation required and initiated the process of developing medium to long term mitigation choices for the next and future decades. The first statutory plan was Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23) that incorporated both the economy-wide targets and legally binding sectoral emission ceilings, set by Government in July 2022. CAP24 and CAP25 then followed the same targets with no major shift in policy.

The transport chapter sets out the policy pathway to achieve these emission reductions, and an integrated combination of measures is premised on an Avoid-Shift-Improve framework where the aim is to:

• Avoid generating unsustainable additional transport demand through better spatial and land-use planning.
• Shift to more sustainable modes of transport, such as active travel and public transport.
• Improve the efficiency of residual vehicle journeys through widespread electrification and the use of renewable alternative fuels.

The Department has been working closely with the National Transport Authority to recalibrate the decarbonisation pathway for the second half of the decade, updating modelling undertaken by the NTA in 2022, to identify policies to correct the trajectory of carbon emissions.

More detailed information on transport measures, targets, and key performance indicators under all published Climate Actions Plans can be found here.

Adaptation

Climate change creates new vulnerabilities and worsens existing ones. There is a lot of uncertainty about how, when and where the impacts of climate change will be experienced in Ireland but there is enough data available to continue working to build resilience against the likely impacts over the coming decades.

Climate change is already affecting how we travel and our transport system.

In recent years, Ireland has experienced record-breaking storms, floods and other extreme weather events which have damaged infrastructure, disrupted services and created new safety risks.

The Department of Transport, working with key stakeholders, has developed the second Transport Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation plan (TSAP II) that aims to build long-term resilience of the transport sector to climate change and support adaptation efforts.

This Plan brings together climate science, risk assessments, and expert insights to guide adaptation action across the transport sector. It builds on lessons learned since 2019 and reflects Ireland’s current and future infrastructure needs and climate priorities.

• The draft plan proposes 40 priority actions to:
  • Reduce disruption caused by climate change and extreme weather events,
  • Safeguard transport infrastructure, and
  • Keep Ireland’s transport system moving safely and efficiently.

An overarching objective of the Plan is to enable transport agencies and operators to act on organisational adaptation priorities and embed climate resilience into their asset management process.

For more information on climate adaptation within the Department of Transport please visit our dedicated webpage at Climate Adaptation.

Further and more detailed Information on the predicted impacts of climate change on Ireland and on a range of adaptation options for Ireland is available on Climate Ireland website EPA Climate Ireland | Adaptation

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) was established as a dedicated Office within the Department of Transport, charged with supporting consumers, the public sector and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. The Office leads on the delivery of Ireland’s ambitious targets under the Climate Action Plan to have an expected 30% of our private car fleet switched to electric by 2030.

There is a suite of incentives in place from ZEVI, and where applicable with support from taxation incentives through the Department of Finance, to support the continued transition to EVs and for the rollout of EV charging infrastructure, including:

• A purchase grant for battery electric vehicles (BEVs);
• A Home Charger purchase grant scheme;
• An Apartment Charger grant;
• Benefit in kind relief for BEVs;
• VRT relief of up to €5,000 for the purchase of BEVs;
• The eSPSV grant scheme for taxi drivers to make the switch to an EV, including wheelchair accessible vehicles;
• A fleet assessment grant to help businesses explore the transition to EVs;
• ZEHDV grant scheme – a grant for HDVs to bridge the gap between a low emission vehicle and a fossil fuel vehicle; and in November 2024, the scheme was expanded to include purchase grants for recharging infrastructure.
• Low rate of annual motor tax.

For details are available here: https://www.zevi.ie/supports-schemes

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) also hosts information about EVs, including details on models available in Ireland, business vehicles and available grants, which they administer on behalf of ZEVI.

The number of electric vehicles in Ireland has grown significantly in recent years. It is expected that the current trend will continue with the market development of a greater range of EV models at increasingly affordable prices, including the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This growth will continue to be supported by ZEVI so that Ireland can meet its targets and transition away from fossil fuel vehicles.

The Government understands that having an effective and reliable charging network is an essential part of enabling drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles. In that context, ZEVI is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years.

While over 80% of charging is expected to happen at home, there is a vital need for a seamless public charging network that will provide for situations or instances where home charging is not possible. The National EV Charging Network Plan outlines the requirements for publicly accessible charging, the objective of which is to be ahead of demand and deliver on the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation requirements and install EV Infrastructure that is capable of meeting user needs. We are already seeing significant increased capacity of EV charging on our national roads, and this plan provides additional reassurance and certainty for EV drivers and those thinking of making the switch to EVs that they will be able to find high powered, fast and convenient EV charge-points where and when they need them.

A range of policies have been published, including the National En-Route EV Charging Plan https://www.zevi.ie/national-road-network-ev-charging-plan and the Regional and Local EV Charging Network Planhttps://www.zevi.ie/regional-and-local-ev-charging-network-plan, and the overarching National EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy https://www.zevi.ie/publications/ev-infrastructure-strategy-2022-2025. This strategy is currently being revised for the period 2026-2028.

In addition, the Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan, which focuses on destination and neighbourhood charging, was published in 2025. The plan will be led by Local Authorities in partnership with both public and private sectors. Local authorities will be funded by ZEVI to develop local and regional EV charging network strategies and implementation plans. This process will identify the number of charge points required in each area, including on-street chargers to serve residents without access to private off-street parking.

A range of new charging infrastructure schemes have been launched which will help provide another critical link in the overall network for public charging.

EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV En-Route Grant Schemes

The Light Duty Vehicle (LDV) charging programmes will be administered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and will significantly expand high power charging availability across the national, regional and local road network, creating a more convenient and reliable system for drivers nationwide.

LDV Grant Scheme Phase 1

The first ZEVI EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV National Road Grant Scheme was launched by TII and ZEVI in February 2024. In July 2024 the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan announced the locations of 17 new high-powered recharging pools to be rolled out under this scheme on the National Road Network.

A total of 131 high-powered recharging points will be built across 17 recharging pools providing an additional 24,260 kilowatts (24 megawatts) recharging capacity.

LDV Grant Scheme Phase 2

Phase 2 of the ZEVI EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV National Road Grant Scheme programme, focusing on 1200km+ of national single carriageway roads, was launched by TII and ZEVI in October 2024. In June 2025 the Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien announced the locations of 53 new high-powered recharging pools to be rolled out under this scheme on the National Road Network.

A total of 175 high-powered recharging points will be built across 53 recharging pools, providing an additional 20,000 kilowatts (20 Megawatts) of recharging capacity.

LDV Grant Scheme Phase 3

Phase 3 of the TII EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV National Road Grant Scheme programme, focusing on 3,000km of non-Ten-T national single carriageway roads, was launched by TII and ZEVI in February 2025. In October 2025, the Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien announced the locations of 90 new high-powered recharging pools to be rolled out under this scheme on the National Road Network.

A total of 192 high-powered recharging points will be built across the 90 recharging pools, providing an additional 22,000 kilowatts (20 Megawatts) of recharging capacity.

Local Authority Pilot Schemes

ZEVI have developed a Local Authority EV Charging infrastructure Pilot Programme.

The aim of this pilot programme is to develop knowledge and understanding and explore innovative solutions for EV charging infrastructure across our Local Authorities. Work will continue on the roll out of 26 pilot projects across 15 Local Authorities.

These pilots include new innovations in renewable, battery backup, behind the meter solutions and flexible payments such as discounted off peak Neighbourhood Charging. The roll out of these pilots will be complete in 2026 and follow the delivery of the first pilot in Westside, Galway City in 2025.

Shared Island Sports Club Scheme

The Shared Island funded Sports Club EV Charging Scheme provides funding to install a network of publicly accessible chargers in communities nationwide through their local sports clubs. Included in the scope of the Scheme are 227 clubs of which 179 are in Ireland and 48 in Northern Ireland.

With procurement frameworks now in place, 2026 will see physical installation works begin under the Shared Island Sports Club EV Charger Scheme. Sports Clubs from across Ireland, north and south, will start hosting community-based chargers, making EV charging more accessible in everyday locations.

Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution Working Group (UTRAP)

The Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution Working Group (UTRAP) was formed in autumn 2019, to consider and address rising concerns about the level of transport-generated air pollution in certain areas. The UTRAP Working Group is co-chaired by the Department of Transport and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

The UTRAP Working Group was established to achieve six objectives. These are reflected in the Terms of Reference which were established for the group, and which are summarised as follows:

• Enhance awareness of clean air legislation and its requirements generally, and specifically in relation to NO₂ and other transport related air pollutants, amongst relevant stakeholder organisations.
• Provide a forum to enhance understanding of the causes and the health and environmental impacts of NO₂ air pollution and other transport related air pollutants in conurbations.
• Identify developments that may impact on NO₂ levels and other transport-related air pollutants in conurbations, e.g. evolving technical standards, and quantify the impact under likely future scenarios.
• Identify examples of best practice in combatting NO₂ air pollution and other transport-related air pollutants in conurbations, particularly road traffic-related air pollution, assess applicability and any barriers to their implementation in an Irish context.
• Consider a range of options for potential measures and any associated actions and supports required to facilitate their effective uptake to address NO₂ and other air pollution; identify measures most suitable to Ireland and appropriate implementation bodies.
• Present the final UTRAP recommendations to the Minister for consideration by Government.

The Group includes representatives from government departments, agencies and other key stakeholders and is tasked with enhancing awareness of clean air legislation and its requirements in relation to transport-related air pollutants. A full overview of the work of the Group is available to view online at gov.ie - Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution (UTRAP) Working Group.

For more context, the Clean Air Strategy for Ireland set ambitious targets for ambient air quality across the country and committed Ireland to working towards World Health Organisation (WHO) interim target 3 (IT3[1]) air quality levels by 2026.

In addition, the new Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) requires compliance with more stringent air quality limits by 2030. It also requires - where projections indicate likely exceedances over these new limits – that Member States prepare a roadmap which outlines the actions needed for achieving compliance within this timeframe and that this roadmap be submitted to the Commission.

WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines

Climate change requires transport systems to transition to sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels.

The Department of Transport is currently advancing a wide range of work to support Ireland’s transition to alternative fuels in line with Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR). Under AFIR, Ireland must meet mandatory minimum levels of alternative fuels infrastructure across the four designated urban nodes—Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick—as well as along the TEN‑T core and comprehensive networks. This includes major programmes of deployment such as publicly accessible light- and heavy‑duty electric vehicle charging infrastructure on national TEN‑T routes, the rollout of hydrogen refuelling stations in the urban nodes and on the TEN‑T core network, and development works in TEN‑T ports to provide on‑shore electricity supply for large vessels at berth. AFIR also requires ensuring adequate electricity supply for stationary aircraft across TEN‑T airports. In December 2024, the Department submitted Ireland’s draft National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (NPF‑AFI) in Transport to the European Commission. Work is now underway with internal and external stakeholders across the transport and energy sectors—as well as with other EU Member States—to finalise and submit the National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuels Infrastructure to the European Commission, ahead of its publication in 2026.

Biofuels

Biofuels are renewable liquid or gaseous fuels used in transport and are created from biomass material. In general, biofuels are typically deployed blended with fossil fuels in Ireland with bioethanol blended with gasoline in petrol (up to 10% volume) and biodiesel or HVO blended with fossil diesel, and they form part of Ireland’s suite of targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the transport sector, under the Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP25).

The use of biofuels brings a wide range of environmental benefits including the reduction of greenhouse gas and other emissions. Additionally, increasing demand for biofuels provides opportunities for their production in Ireland.

Biofuels must meet strict sustainability criteria, set out in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). This includes ensuring that raw materials used in the production of biofuels (such as waste, residues, or crops) do not cause significant environmental harm and that the fuels contribute to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. An explainer on what renewable fuels are can be found here.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Policy (RTFP) sets out a pathway for achievement of Climate Action Plan biofuel targets as agreed by Government, as well as delivery of the targets and requirements for renewable energy share in transport under REDIII. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) trajectory set out in this policy aligns with the revised renewable energy share in transport (RES-T) target set out in the EU Renewable Energy Directive, while protecting physical biofuel blending rates.

While the overall trajectory for increasing blending rates for renewables is set out in the Policy Statement, the Department updates the policy every two years to ensure it remains agile and responsive to market trends and other variables impacting on the achievement of the objectives set out. DoT will continue to review the policy on a biennial basis as Ireland and the EU look beyond 2030 to ensure a predictable and stable regulatory environment for the renewable transport fuels sector.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Policy 2025-2027 can be found here. Previous iterations of the RTFP can be found below.

Renewable Transport Fuel Policy 2023-2025

Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy Statement 2021-2023

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), formerly known as the Biofuels Obligation Scheme, is administered by the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA), and requires fuel suppliers to ensure that a certain percentage of the fuel they place on the market is renewable. Biofuels that meet the sustainability and greenhouse gas savings criteria are eligible for Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates, which are used to demonstrate compliance with the RTFO. To achieve the CAP and RES-T targets, the rate of the RTFO is increased annually. The RTFO rate is 32% (by energy) in 2026, which is given legislative effect by European Union (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation) Regulations 2025 (SI 664 of 2025).

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation Rates 2024