From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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"I welcome the publication of the latest EPA inventories. These are a clear indication that we need to double down on implementation of climate action measures. The Climate Action Plan 2021 provides a roadmap for the delivery of these measures.
"In particular, we now need to convert some of the further measures – not necessarily included in these EPA projections but outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2021 – into detailed policy actions. We must ensure that sectors hit their respective goals to reduce emissions. In addition, I will soon bring recommendations on sectoral emissions ceilings before Cabinet. It is anticipated that all sectors will find these ceilings challenging. However, we must all strive to ensure that the final agreed targets align with the carbon budgets, already approved by the Dáil, and ultimately with the Climate Act 2021.
"In addition, we will have to meet our legally-binding European targets which are going to be more ambitious than previously.
"This may seem daunting, but too often people overestimate what we can do in a year but underestimate what we can do in a decade.
"Achieving our climate targets will provide numerous benefits to the country in terms of health, competitiveness, employment opportunities, biodiversity and climate impact, but will require changes across all sectors of our society and economy. These changes will require a collaborative effort by Government, business, communities, and individuals – to implement new and ambitious policies, technological innovations, systems and infrastructures. This will also require changes in individual behaviours, including how we work, heat our homes, travel, consume goods and services, and manage our waste. We will launch Climate Conversation 2022 shortly, to hear from people all over the country – about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and to hear about their solutions to climate change in their communities.
"Ireland’s strengthened climate governance framework, established through the Climate Act 2021, provides the foundations for continued ambitious climate policies in Ireland.
"Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out our response – as a country – to the climate crisis. This plan is transformative. It details what we must do to meet this challenge and our national climate objectives – to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Our next Climate Action Plan, due to be published later this year, will build on the 2021 Plan and set out the measures and policies to keep us within our carbon budgets and on the pathway to a zero-emission economy by 2050.
ENDS
The Climate Action Plan 2021 provides a detailed plan for taking decisive action to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and setting us on a path to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050, as committed to in the Programme for Government and set out in the Climate Act 2021.
It will put Ireland on a more sustainable path; cut emissions; create a cleaner, greener economy and society; and protect us from the devastating consequences of climate change. It is a huge opportunity to create new jobs and grow businesses in areas like offshore wind; cutting-edge agriculture; and retrofitting, making our homes warmer and safer.
The Plan lists the actions needed to deliver on our climate targets and sets indicative ranges of emissions reductions for each sector of the economy. It will be updated annually, including in 2022, to ensure alignment with our legally-binding economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral ceilings.
This Plan makes Ireland one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate.