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Agriculture, Building, Transport: Here's how sectors are expected to cut emissions by 2030

The agriculture sector has been targeted with the lowest change – a 22% to 30% reduction in emissions.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS published its long-awaited revised Climate Action Plan, setting out how it intends to meet tight climate targets over the next nine years.

The plan proposes how much each sector of society must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Many of the targets are the same as the ones that were set out in the original Climate Action Plan in 2019.

Let’s take a look at how much various sectors must reduce their emissions – and how this is expected to be achieved – by the end of this decade.

Agriculture

The agriculture sector, which is responsible for the most greenhouse gases, has been targeted with the lowest change – a 22% to 30% reduction in emissions by 2030.

The plan states: “Farmers know the land better than anyone. We will empower farmers with a science-based approach, backed by robust research. Farm practices that enable farmers to produce world-class food with a lower carbon footprint are key.

“The plan commits to using less chemical nitrogen and more targeted use of fertiliser, while maintaining the same level of grass growth through multi-species swards.

“Other measures include improving the genetics of our herds to reduce emissions and improve productivity. We will also incentivise increased organic farming and diversification into forestry, biomethane and energy production.”

The government has committed to a number of measures including the following:

  • Undertake a programme of work to refine the potential and to set targets/pathways for measures to deliver further emissions reductions
  • Carry out a diversification review based on Land Use Review findings
  • Enable a carbon farming framework by the end of 2023 in line with EU activity
  • Explore the potential for methane reducing feed additives for pasture-based solutions

Transport

Transport must cut its emissions by 42% to 50% by 2030.

The government has committed to a number of measures including the following:

  • Provide for an additional 500,000 daily public transport and active travel journeys
  • Increase the fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) and low emitting vehicles (LEVs) on the road to 945,000 – comprising of 845,000 electric passenger cars; 95,000 electric vans; 3,500 low emitting trucks; 1,500 electric buses and an expanded electrified rail network
  • Raise the blend proportion of biofuels to B20 in diesel and E10 in petrol

Electricity

Electricity must cut its emissions by 62 to 81% by 2030.

The document notes: “Among the most important measures in the plan is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to up to 80% by 2030, including an increased target of up to 5 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy.

“This will not just reduce our emissions from electricity, it will allow us to electrify other sectors such as transport and heat and reduce our emissions in these sectors too.

“In addition to the upcoming microgeneration support scheme for householders the government will introduce a small-scale generator scheme for farmers, business, and communities to generate their own electricity and feed into the grid.

“As well as developing improved storage, we will also begin to deploy renewable gas such as biomethane and green hydrogen. The government will review its strategy on data centres to ensure that the sector will be in alignment with sectoral emissions ceilings and support renewable energy targets.”

Enterprise

Enterprise must cut its emissions by 29 to 41% by 2030.

The plan states that enterprise “will be required to implement a detailed agenda of transition and change if it is to ensure that our sectors are climate resilient and can remain competitive in a decarbonising world”.

These measures include the following:

  • Improving the energy efficiency of processes, buildings and transport
  • Replacing fossil fuels with renewables in their processes, buildings and transport
  • Improving the way in which resources are used in their supply chain to reduce emissions and conform to circular economy principles
  • Being innovative across production, distribution, and marketing to realise the opportunities arising
  • Developing new skills and techniques as necessary
  • Developing metrics on the climate and environmental impact of activities, which will become more widely expected in the marketplace

Building

Emissions related to buildings must be cut by 29 to 41% by 2030.

The plan states that the government has already committed to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030 and will install 680,000 renewable energy heat sources in both new and existing residential buildings.

The document adds: “We recognise that we will need to work out ways to assist broader society with the costs of retrofitting. The new National Retrofit Plan will drive demand, make retrofitting more affordable, and expand the capacity of the industry including training of workers.

“A further 3 specialist training centres will be established. Other measures include increased targets for district heating and the public sector and strengthening building standards for all buildings.”

Public sector

The document states that the public sector “will lead by example in this transition by reducing emissions by 51% by 2030.

This will be done via the following measures:

  • Mandating public sector employers, colleges and other public sector bodies to move to 20% home and remote working
  • Introducing a sustainable mobility policy, by replacing all buses with electric vehicles by 2035 and by tripling the length of electrified rail by 2030

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13 Comments
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    Mute ☘
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:46 AM

    people can move all around ireland with guns and drugs and i bet if i drove one day without road tax i would be in court,

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    Mute Ed Collins
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:50 AM

    @☘: and rightly so

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:01 AM

    @Ed Collins: who is giving you thumbs up , have you 17 accounts? people really believe it should be easier move around Ireland with guns than a dodgy tax disc. No wonder we’re screwed

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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:03 AM

    @The long walk home☘️: no one said that though??

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:08 AM

    @Ed Collins: shows where your priorities lie. We have a traffic corpin Ireland with poor resources to serious crime all the way up to the prison service & road tax is yours and the government’s priority. Orwell described you well. No louder voice to be heard defending an oppressor than that of the oppressed. It’s people like you who have the country and its people on it’s knees.

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:19 AM

    @STOIC SAVAGE: that was his point or did it go way over your head?

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @☘: In fairness, it’s far easier to spot an untaxed car than it is to spot a car carrying guns or drugs. And just as an aside, if you end up in court for driving an untaxed car, it means your tax has been out of date for a hell of a lot longer than one day. You have one month from expiry date of your motor tax to get it renewed. Its written on your renewal notice. Go into a second month untaxed and you pay a penalty when you finally do tax it, and you may get an on the spot fine. 3rd month you’d certainly get a fine and theres a risk the car could be impounded. Purely anecdotal, but from what I’ve seen/heard you’d really need to be taking the mick to end up in court for non-payment of motor tax alone, ie, expired for a year or more.

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    Mute Jesse James
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:59 AM

    @Mjhint: We don’t have Traffic Gardai in Ireland. They are regular Gardai in cars marked Roads Policing.

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    Mute Paul
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:33 AM

    @Jesse James: incorrect. We have a dedicated Roads Policing Unit, they are appointed to those units and are no longer on the regular units.

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    Mute my name
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:36 AM
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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:59 AM

    @The long walk home☘️: nah…. His point was both are illegal and rightly punishable by law… Think it was your head it went over pal

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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Aug 28th 2019, 12:12 PM

    @☘: they dont drive around with guns taped to the windscreen theyre a bit harder to spot than the lack of a tax disc

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:54 AM

    life should mean life, some of these people are out after 11 years still young men.

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    Mute MickN
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:12 AM

    Another week another tragedy in Louth.. For the size of the county its never out of the news…

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    Mute Conor V
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:39 AM

    @MickN: it’s a bid County :)

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    Mute Leo Lalor
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:46 AM

    How long is this feud going on. Like the kinehan hutch feud and it appears all the gardai are capable of is hiding on motorways catching you at 125 kph. Traffic corps are a waste of resource for the public. Fianna Gael love them . Revenue collection

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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:58 AM

    @Leo Lalor:
    The auld penalty points mounting up, are they? Try a simple solution – obey the rules of the road- it works!

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    Mute John Joe & Bridie
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:58 AM

    @Leo Lalor: Yawn

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    Mute Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh
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    Aug 28th 2019, 12:54 PM

    @Leo Lalor: A good few of the Hutch/ Kinehan murders have been solved but don’t let that stop your bit of Garda bashing.

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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:37 PM

    @Leo Lalor: I’m sure more people die on the roads each year then to gangland violance. Maybe I’m wrong.

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    Mute Think Before You Buy
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:06 PM

    The violence, not just in Louth, but across the country is directly related to the vast amount of money generated through using drugs for recreational purposes. It is for control of the area in which this money is spent that these gangs are fighting to control. Remember it always harms someone THINK BEFORE YOU BUY http://www.thinkbeforeyoubuy.ie

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    Mute aYoungRory
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    Aug 28th 2019, 2:04 PM

    I’m calling for a head banger hunger games this year.
    Let every wannabe lunatic in Ireland meet up in Longford on December 8th when it’s empty for Culchie Christmas…. No holds barred, no innocents hurt and less than 2k damage done. We can hold a mass funeral at 12 midnight for the fallen and crown the last standing survivor ‘Hardest Man in Ireland’.

    Danny Dyer can present the trophy to him moments before we fire both men into the surface of the moon.

    Then we take the homes of the losers and redistribute them to the homeless.

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    Mute Maciej Zadorozny
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:18 PM
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