Cost of missing climate targets 'could exceed €8bn'

The Climate Change Advisory Council has said that although greenhouse gas emissions fell in most sectors last year, the rate of progress is not enough to meet national and EU climate obligations.

It warns that the cost of failing to meet Ireland 2030 climate targets could exceed €8 billion and it is calling for significant and concerted action across sectors to end reliance on fossil fuels.

So far this year the Climate Change Advisory Council has issued seven reports about the climate performance of different sectors in the economy.

Today's report pulls them all together in a cross-sectional review. It says Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels must be ended.

To this end it is calling for a significant increase in the level of support for households, businesses and communities switching to electric vehicles and heat pumps, and home insulation, because high costs are putting people off.

If the Government does not do that, the Council says it will just end up having to pay the money over to other EU member states in the end, when Ireland fails to meet its 2030 emissions targets.

It also wants the Government to stop subsidising fossil fuels through differential tax rates on petrol and diesel, VAT and excise duty rebates for businesses using diesel, and exemptions for aviation fuel.

It stresses, however, that removing fossil fuel subsidies needs to be done in a progressive and clearly timed manner with protections and financial supports for the most vulnerable and those most impacted.

The Climate Change Advisory Council also says it is imperative that the new National Planning Framework is strengthened and adopted in full before the end of the year.

This is to support the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, and reduce emissions associated with new building developments and the transport system.

It is also calling for the Land Use Review to be completed and a detailed implementation plan to enable the necessary reduction in agriculture emissions to be set out.

This would also help a diverse range of bioeconomy and ecosystem services needed to maintain a sustainable, resilient and biodiversity rich economy according to today’s report.

The Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council Marie Donnelly said: "We have the opportunity, now, to transform our society to a modern, climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy or else pay the price of not meeting our commitments which will take crucial funds away from essential services.

"It is better to make the investments now for households, communities and businesses, rather than paying a large fine in a few years."

Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said the main reason for Ireland not meeting its climate targets is due to transport, where emissions are "stubbornly high".

"Unfortunately, we're not on target. Last year, we did make good progress and we've moved closer to achieving our first carbon budget up to 2025, but without significant progress, we will not achieve our target by 2030 and that's where the fines come in," she said.

"We need significant progress in the area, for example of transport, which has been quite stubborn in terms of the emission levels.

"We had a dip of course during Covid, it has rebounded and it is remaining stubbornly high in terms of our emissions. So that's a really important target area.

"Without significant progress across all of the sectors, we're not going to be able to make our target by 2030 and that will lead us to fines in excess of €8bn," Ms Donnelly added.