Ireland sets out Climate Action Plan. A real step forward in the fight against climate change.

The Irish Government has created a new Climate Action Plan, chaired by a delivery board of industry and climate experts. The Action Plan contains a number of steps and targets to meeting a net-zero future, including a delivery of 12GW of renewable energy by 2030, with 8.2GW of new onshore wind. This sets out one of the most pro-active and detailed action plans of any country in Europe, with over 180 actions, and a commitment to providing detailed progress reports on a quarterly basis.

The Climate Action Plan sets out details for every sector from housing and transport to manufacturing and industry. With plans for increased retrofitting of energy efficiency measures for homes, phasing out the use of tradition oils for biomass and the introduction of over 500,000 new electric vehicles and a new charging network by 2030. These specific actions will all deliver considerable change to the carbon emissions in Ireland.

Community Windpower Ltd Managing Director, Rod Wood says,

“What the Irish Government is putting forward, are actionable and achievable steps to a carbon free future. These will help reach ambitious targets and will help provide real world environmental and economic benefits for the people of Ireland. Scotland can learn from Ireland, creating clear action paths to be net-zero by 2045”.

In the latest report, the CCC gives another warning,

“Government has still not developed a route to market for the lowest-cost forms of low-carbon generation such as onshore wind and solar, which are currently excluded from CfD auctions. This limits the potential speed of decarbonisation and adds to costs”.

Resultantly, it remains clear that without significant new onshore renewable projects Scotland will miss net-zero 70% by 2030 and 100% Net Zero by 2045

Image; Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Burton.

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