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| Climate Action Plan 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Climate Action Plan 2019 |
| Type | National policy |
| Jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Adopted | 2019 |
| Minister | Eamon Ryan |
| Related | Paris Agreement, European Green Deal |
Climate Action Plan 2019 The Climate Action Plan 2019 is a national policy document issued by the Irish Government under the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment that set sectoral decarbonisation pathways and statutory measures aligned with the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. It succeeded earlier strategies like the National Mitigation Plan and informed subsequent legislation such as the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, seeking to coordinate responses across ministries including Department of Transport, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The plan was developed following commitments made at summits such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) and in response to domestic reports from bodies including the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) and the Climate Change Advisory Council (Ireland), and was influenced by international examples like Germany's Energiewende, United Kingdom Climate Change Act 2008, and the Netherlands Climate Agreement. Drafting involved consultations with stakeholders including Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Irish Farmers' Association, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and municipal actors in Dublin City Council and Cork City Council, and referenced technical studies by institutions such as Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and Maynooth University.
The document set economy-wide targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions consistent with trajectories from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regional targets in the European Union framework, including sectoral goals for electricity generation decarbonisation, transport modal shift, building retrofit rates, and agricultural emissions intensities. It established milestones for 2020, 2030, and 2050 that aligned with ambitions of the Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 objective endorsed by international instruments like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and reflected guidance from the International Energy Agency and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Policies included accelerated deployment of renewable energy technologies such as onshore wind farm projects and solar photovoltaic arrays, electrification of transport via incentives for electric vehicle purchase and expansion of public transit in corridors like Dublin–Belfast and Cork–Limerick, and deep energy retrofits for building stock referencing standards like Nearly Zero-Energy Building. Agricultural measures incorporated nutrient management inspired by practices from Denmark and New Zealand studies and pilot schemes with the Teagasc research institute, while industry measures targeted efficiency improvements aligned with directives like the EU Emissions Trading System and investments in green hydrogen demonstration projects modeled on programmes in Germany and France.
Governance arrangements assigned responsibilities across ministers such as Simon Coveney's portfolio overlaps and incorporated oversight by statutory bodies including the Climate Change Advisory Council (Ireland) and the National Oversight and Audit Commission. Delivery mechanisms involved national agencies like ESB Group, Bord na Móna, and Gas Networks Ireland, and coordination with local authorities including Galway County Council and Waterford City and County Council for planning consents, while parliamentary scrutiny occurred through committees of the Oireachtas.
Financial frameworks referenced fiscal tools used by institutions such as the European Investment Bank and proposed national funding through the National Development Plan (Ireland) and carbon pricing measures comparable to systems in Sweden, France, and the United Kingdom. The plan estimated sectoral investment needs that affected firms like CRH plc and DCC plc and sought to mobilise private capital via mechanisms similar to green bonds and public procurement reforms modeled on European Investment Bank programmes, with anticipated macroeconomic effects on indicators monitored by Central Statistics Office (Ireland) and Central Bank of Ireland.
Monitoring frameworks relied on data streams from agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and international reporting under the UNFCCC and European Environment Agency. Evaluation cycles planned for periodic reviews informed by modelling from research centres such as ESRI (Ireland) and academic partners at University College Cork, with progress assessments reported to the Oireachtas and independent scrutiny by bodies akin to the Climate Change Advisory Council (Ireland).
Reception ranged from endorsements by organisations like Friends of the Earth (Ireland) and business groups such as the Irish Business and Employers Confederation to critiques by environmental NGOs, trade unions, and agricultural lobbyists including the Irish Farmers' Association and commentary in media outlets like The Irish Times and RTE. Critics highlighted concerns raised by reports from the Climate Change Advisory Council (Ireland) and academics from Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin about ambition gaps, implementation timetables, and perceived equity impacts on rural constituencies and sectors such as peat extraction represented by Bord na Móna.
Category:Climate policy