Ireland

Ireland ranks 29th in this year’s CCPI, vaulting 14 places from last year and now among the medium performers. Ireland receives a medium rating in Renewable Energy, Energy Use, and Climate Policy, but a low in GHG Emissions.

Implementation Remains Questionable

In 2022, Ireland’s government introduced legally binding five-year carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings. It also resolved a legislative framework with annually revised Climate Action Plans to align with the country’s 2030 net emissions reduction target of 51% (compared with 2018 levels) and net zero by 2050.

The CCPI national experts note that, despite these legal requirements, the policy implementation remains problematic. Recent Environmental Protection Agency projections indicate that while considerable emissions decline in 2023 (6.8%) brought Ireland closer to achieving its first carbon budget, the lack of substantial progress makes it unlikely Ireland will meet its second carbon budget in 2026–2030.

Divisions also have emerged in the coalition government ahead of the general election at the end of November 2024, and there has been a clear unwillingness to take effective action for reducing GHG emissions at this stage in the electoral cycle.

A Big Rise in Solar Capacity with a Continuing Dependence on Fossil Fuels

In the electricity sector, the experts report Ireland’s solar capacity has almost doubled in one year because of the country’s surge in utility-scale solar projects and a significant rise in small and domestic rooftop solar. Since the Microgeneration Support Scheme was introduced in 2022, more than 16,000 homes have received grants for installing solar panels.

The experts indicate an urgent need for port infrastructure and grid strengthening to ensure medium-to-long-term offshore wind expansion and heating and transport electrification. Coupled with low levels of battery storage and ongoing gas connections, the state is set to remain greatly dependent on fossil fuel generation. A lack of skilled workforce also is hampering progress in many areas related to climate action, including offshore wind development.

Still, retrofits are expanding rapidly, though not on the scale required, especially for those affected by fuel poverty. In September 2024, the High Court ruled that Shannon LNG’s planning application for a large terminal in Kerry must be reconsidered. The experts emphasise that the government should immediately reinstate the moratorium the government agreed to in a legally robust manner and permanently ban any type of LNG terminal in Ireland.

Data Centers Taking Up Increasingly More Electricity Supply

The experts also report that data centers now account for over 20% of electricity demand and could rise to 30% by 2030, with their increasing demand outstripping the development of new renewables and threatening the carbon footprint. The experts call for a moratorium on data centers and revision of the relevant government agencies’ legal mandates in line with climate change commitments.

At the international level, Ireland is a strong performer in climate finance, especially in loss and damage. At COP28, the country pledged over USD 27 million to the new Loss and Damage Fund and played an active role in the negotiations on the Transitional Committee. Although the overall amount of climate finance is still too low, the quality of the aid is considered to be excellent, as it is based on grants rather than loans. The experts also call on Ireland to support the development of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As in previous years, the experts appeal to Ireland to enforce its national mitigation policies to limit total carbon combustion in the energy sector, limit total nitrogen use in the agricultural sector, and limit deforestation in line with existing and legally binding five-year carbon budgets by 2030.

Key Outcomes

CCPI Experts

National experts that contributed to the policy evaluation of this year’s CCPI chose to remain anonymous.