Annual Transition Statement 2017

Section 14(1) of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 provides that an Annual Transition Statement must be presented annually to both Houses of the Oireachtas by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Each Annual Transition Statement includes an overview of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy measures adopted to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to the effects of climate change in order to enable the achievement of the national transition objective. The Annual Transition Statement also contains a summary of current and projected greenhouse gas emissions published by the Environmental Protection Agency, together with a report on compliance with obligations of the State under EU law or an international agreement referred to in section 2 of the 2015 Act.

While an Annual Transition Statement is required to set out information on developments in respect of the year immediately preceding the year in which the statement is presented, each statement also references key policy developments and mitigation and adaptation activity in the year of its presentation.

The 2017 Transition statement includes an overview of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy measures adopted to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to the effects of climate change in order to enable the achievement of the 'national transition objective'. The 2017 Annual Transition Statement contains for the first time an 'annual sectoral mitigation transition statement for each of the four sectors covered by the National Mitigation Plan. It also contains a record of emissions of greenhouse gas set out in the most recent inventory prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a projection of future emissions, together with a report on compliance with obligations of the State under EU law or an international agreement referred to in section 2 of the 2015 Act.

While an Annual Transition Statement must contain information in respect of the year immediately preceding the year in which the statement is presented, (i.e. 2016 in this instance), this year's Annual Transition Statement also records key policy developments in relation to climate mitigation and adaptation in 2017.