Taoiseach Simon Harris has welcomed new data that showed Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions last year were the lowest in three decades.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 6.8 per cent in 2023, with reductions in almost all sectors.
EPA director general Laura Burke said it was “incredibly positive news” to see the largest year-on-year emissions reduction outside of a recession.
“When we’ve had recessions we’ve had significant reductions, but we haven’t so far been able to have a growing economy and reduction in emissions and that’s what we’ve seen in 2023,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Harris said the drop showed “a partnership approach” to climate action with the Irish people was “the way forward”.
“Obviously, we know we’re living through a climate emergency. It’s real. It needs action,” he said.
“But sometimes I think when you’re asking people to make change, it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. Are we making any progress at all? I think people can feel: ‘I’m doing my best, but is it making a difference?’
“I think what we can say to Irish people, Irish businesses, Irish farmers, that today we’re seeing figures that show the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in a very, very long time.”
He added: “Obviously, there’s a lot more that we need to do, but it just shows correct policy and a partnership approach with the Irish people is the way forward.”
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said the latest report “really smashes the myth that you can’t have a growing economy and also reduce emissions” and said this would give “great hope” to people.
Emissions data show the largest single-year reductions in the energy and agriculture sectors and the lowest level of residential emissions since 1990, while transport emissions were below pre-Covid levels.
Power generation emissions decreased by 21.6 per cent while agriculture emissions decreased by 4.6 per cent.
Residential emissions decreased by 7.1 per cent while emissions per capita decreased from 11.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per person to 10.4 tonnes in 2023.
However, transport emissions increased marginally by 0.3 per cent.
The figures come in the EPA’s provisional greenhouse gas emissions numbers for 2023.
In total, 55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent were emitted, excluding emissions from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).
The assessment shows that Ireland complied with its EU Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) commitments for 2021-2023, with the use of allowed flexibilities.
However, the figures show that 2023 greenhouse gas emissions were still only 10.1 per cent below 2005 levels, well short of Ireland’s EU Effort Sharing reduction commitment of 42 per cent by 2030.
When considered under the national commitments of the Climate Act 2015, the EPA says reductions are still “well off” the target of a 51 per cent reduction by 2030.
It said there was a need to achieve an “extremely challenging annual reduction” of 8.3 per cent for each of the years 2024 and 2025 if Ireland is to stay within the first Carbon Budget.
Ms Burke added: “These are significant findings that signal the impact of climate action and decarbonisation measures across Ireland’s economy and society.
“We see the impact of more renewables and interconnection powering electricity, less fossil fuel use in home heating, reduced nitrogen fertiliser use in agriculture and more biofuel in transport.”
She added: “The data indicates a move towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the scale and pace required to meet our climate ambition of a 51 per cent reduction by 2030.
“However, while these are positive results for the year 2023, we are still well off track in terms of meeting EU and national 2030 targets. We need to maintain and further build momentum.”
