Press release
First Progress Report of Climate Action Plan 2023 Published
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
The Q1 Progress Report of the 2023 Climate Action Plan (CAP23) has been published, setting out delivery of significant actions across critical sectors. Six high impact sectors were identified in CAP23, reflecting the areas where emissions reduction is most significantly and urgently required under Ireland’s legally-binding carbon budgets. Sectoral Emissions Ceilings (SECs) have been established for Agriculture, Buildings, Electricity, Industry, and Transport. A final SEC for Land Use is expected by year end, pending the assessment of evolving scientific data.
In total, 36 actions were scheduled for delivery and reporting in Q1 2023. An implementation rate of 75% was achieved, with 27 measures completed on time this quarter.
In addition to headline sectoral actions, the report notes a number of cross-cutting actions completed in Q1 2023 that support the delivery of climate action via finance, planning, research, engagement, resilience, and public sector leadership.
Speaking on the Q1 Report, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
“The climate challenge is urgent, but we know we have the solutions. Taking action on climate does not have to be a burden; this is a moment of opportunity. Our 2023 Climate Action Plan will drive our emissions down and improve our lives with cleaner air, cleaner, cheaper energy, warmer homes, better transport links and less time commuting, new income, employment and investment opportunities for businesses, including for agri-businesses, more remote working, more jobs and better regional development.
“Our targets are challenging, and require system change, but the climate action we take will create a better, sustainable future. I have set the ambition for Ireland to become energy independent in a generation and I will convene a special summit on this topic this summer. We must be generation that turns the tide on climate change and biodiversity loss and leave the planet to the next generation in a better condition than we inherited it.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said:
“The devastating effects of climate change across the world, and the existential challenge it poses, have been made clear by the IPCC Synthesis Report. Not only in the most climate-vulnerable communities, but in Europe and here in Ireland.
"That’s why we need to continue to match our ambitions with actions; on wind energy, on replacing fossil fuel dependency with renewables, and on promoting biodiversity.
"I welcome this first Progress Report for our 2023 Climate Action Plan – high impact action is critical to address the urgent challenges our planet faces.”
Minister Eamon Ryan said:
“There is nothing easy about climate action because what we are aiming to do is fundamentally change a fossil fuel-driven economic model that has been in place for over a century to one that reduces polluting emissions and the erosion of our environment.
“This first quarter report for 2023 tells us that we are making progress, we are meeting the majority of our milestones and we are taking climate action, every day and every month. The ship is turning, slowly but methodically. Last year, for example, 34% of Ireland’s electricity needs were met by wind energy, meaning that we had to spend €2 billion less on gas. On one day just last week 10% of our electricity needs were met by solar power. The same type of gradual and consistent progress is happening across all of our high impact sectors from transport to industry. There is likely to be a lag time before we see large reductions in our emissions but if we keep delivering on our actions, we will begin to see the significant changes we need by the middle of this century.”
The Climate Action Plan 2023, launched in December 2022, is the second annual update of its kind and the first to be prepared under the the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. It follows on from the introduction, in 2022, of economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings.
The plan details actions across a number of areas, including six vital, high-impact sectors:
An Annex of Actions to support delivery of CAP23 was published on 7 March 2023. This is the first Progress Report on the actions outlined in the Annex, that were due for delivery and reporting in Q1 2023.
The CAP23 Annex also identified a number of ‘non-reportable’ actions (marked with an asterisk *) that provide important detail of ongoing work, and previously established activity being undertaken in support of climate action. The continued implementation of these activities is assumed and they do not fall to be reported anew to Government.
Progress reporting on CAP23 is therefore largely confined to actions relating to new initiatives or significant steps towards achieving the government’s climate ambitions, as detailed in the Q1 2023 Progress Report.
High impact actions completed this quarter include:
In addition to detail on all actions completed and delayed this quarter, an additional spreadsheet accompanies this Progress Report. This spreadsheet details how both delayed measures (for example, those due in 2022) and future actions (for example, those due in 2023, 2024) from CAP21 were accounted for, within the updated CAP23 or otherwise. This exercise maintains transparency on what happened to already committed actions (for example: carried forward directly, merged for higher impact, changed policy approach, or superseded by higher ambition) and helps to close off CAP21 effectively.