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Press release

Government approves post-consultation Climate Action Plan 2024

The government has today approved Climate Action Plan 2024, following the completion of a public consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Climate Action Plan 2024 is the second statutory update to the plan since the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 was signed into law, committing Ireland to 2030 and 2050 targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It builds on Climate Action Plan 2023, outlining how Ireland will accelerate the actions required to respond to the climate crisis, putting climate solutions at the centre of Ireland’s social and economic development.

Commenting on the launch of the updated Climate Action Plan 2024, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said:

"This is the decade of climate action; the choice to remain as we are is not available. Tipping points, such as the loss of ice sheets, the shutdown of ocean currents, and a warmer and wetter Irish climate point to severe regional and global risks. Delivering on the complete range of targets set out in Climate Action Plan 2024 represents the lowest cost route for society in the long run. What we need now, and something that was mentioned again and again in the public consultation undertaken as part of Climate Action Plan 2024, is decisive delivery of the actions outlined in Climate Action Plan, and renewed ambition on the part of government and society as a whole.

"Ireland is well placed to have a competitive edge in several key areas, and to leverage our competitive position with regard to certain natural resources – namely wind energy. I’m also encouraged that identity politics has so far not seeped into the climate debate and that the vast majority of Irish people understand the critical nature of climate change and want action now."

With updated greenhouse gas emissions projections due from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in the coming weeks, their most recent inventory figures show that Ireland's emissions fell by just under 2% between 2021 and 2022 — with reductions across the agriculture, industry, energy and residential sectors — at a time when the economy and population were increasing.

However, Climate Action Plan 2024 outlines that there can be no room for complacency, despite progress across many sectors. There is still a significant challenge ahead of us if we are to transition to a greener, cleaner future that improves people’s quality of life and meets our emission reduction obligations.

Critical to achieving these targets will be Ireland’s National Energy and Climate Plan, soon to go to public consultation, and the Long-term Climate Strategy which builds upon the decarbonisation pathways set by the Carbon Budgets, Sectoral Emissions Ceilings and this Climate Action Plan.

Climate Action Plan 2024 is available on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

Notes

Key targets across six vital high impact sectors in Climate Action Plan 2024

Powering Change: Electricity

75% reduction in emissions by 2030 (compared to 2018)

We will facilitate a large-scale deployment of renewables that will be critical to decarbonising the power sector as well as enabling the electrification of other technologies.

  • we will have 6GW of onshore wind capacity – enough to power the entire country at full production – and 5GW solar PV capacity by 2025
  • end the use of coal and peat in electricity generation
  • improve grid flexibility to allow for up to 85% of renewable generation on the grid at once
  • encourage flexible electricity consumption by promoting the use of smart meters and Time-of-Use tariffs which ease the burden on the grid, reduce emissions and benefit customers

Building Better: Built Environment

45% reduction in commercial/public buildings emissions; 40% reduction in residential buildings emissions

We will increase the energy efficiency of existing buildings, put in place policies to deliver zero-emissions new builds and continue to ramp up our retrofitting programme.

  • enable the retrofitting of 120,000 dwellings by 2025
  • all new homes to be constructed to Nearly Zero Energy Building standard by 2025
  • support the roll-out of 215,000 heat pumps in our homes by 2025
  • develop up to 0.8TWh of district heating like the Tallaght District Heating Network which utilises excess heat from a nearby data centre to heat 32,800 square metres of buildings

Greener Mobility: Transport

50% reduction in emissions by 2030

We will drive policies to reduce transport emissions by improving our town, cities and rural planning, and by adopting the Avoid-Shift-Improve approach: reducing or avoiding the need for travel, shifting to public transport, walking and cycling and improving the energy efficiency of vehicles.

  • 50% reduction in fuel usage for transport by 2030
  • 130% increase in daily public transport journeys by 2030
  • 50% increase in daily active travel journeys by 2030
  • 25% reduction in daily car journeys by 2030
  • 175,000 passenger EVs on our roads by 2025

Sustainable Farming: Agriculture

25% reduction in emission by 2030

We will support farmers to continue to produce world-class, safe and nutritious food, while also seeking to diversify income through tillage, energy generation and forestry.

  • 80% uptake of inhibited urea on grassland farms, resulting in reduced ammonia N and nitrous oxide N emissions and a potential reduction in farm emissions of 8% on dairy farms
  • reduce the use of chemical Nitrogen on our farms
  • production of 1TWh of biomethane by 2025
  • flagship €1.5 billion Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) rewards farmers for undertaking measures with a wide range of environmental benefits

Decarbonising Business: Industry

35% reduction in emissions by 2030

We’re changing how we produce, consume and design our goods and services, by breaking the link between fossil fuels and economic progress. Decarbonising industry and enterprise is key to Ireland’s economy and future competitiveness.

  • 50-55% share of carbon-neutral heating in total fuel demand by 2025
  • decrease embodied carbon in construction materials produced and used in Ireland by 10% by 2025
  • at least 1TWh consumption of zero-emission gas for industrial heating by 2025
  • support large energy users to develop more energy efficient industrial processes
  • promote the use of timber in construction to reduce emissions and embody carbon

Nature-based Solutions: Land Use Management

The first phase of the Land Use Review told us how we are using our land at present. This will help us identify how we can use land to most effectively to capture and store carbon and to produce better, greener food and energy.

  • Land Use Review to be completed, to better understand this sector’s baseline emissions
  • afforestation rate of 8,000kha/year to 2030, equating to 8 million trees with 50% of all new forests native or broadleaf
  • rehabilitate 63,000 hectares of exploited peatlands by 2030
  • plant 2,000km of new hedgerows by 2030

Other actions

  • provide at least €225 million per year in Climate Finance to developing countries by 2025
  • reduce the consumption of plastic single-use items, and ensure all plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2030
  • invest in former peatland communities in the midlands, funding businesses, community projects, and training
  • 51% reduction in GHG emissions and a 50% improvement in public sector energy efficiency by 2030
  • implement nature-based solutions to improve the resilience of Ireland’s water infrastructure to the effects of climate change

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