Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 lowest in three decades

Greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland last year were at their lowest level in thirty years – and below the 1990 baseline.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its provisional greenhouse gas emissions data for Ireland for 2023. The figures show a reduction of 6.8 per cent compared to 2022, with emission reductions in almost all sectors.

In total, 55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2eq) were emitted, excluding emissions from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).

Laura Burke, Director General, EPA said the figures show the impact of more renewables and interconnection powering electricity, less fossil fuel use in home heating, reduced nitrogen fertiliser use in agriculture and more biofuel in transport.

She added,

“The data indicates a move towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the scale and pace required to meet our climate ambition of a 51 per cent reduction by 2030. However, while these are positive results for the year 2023, we are still well off track in terms of meeting EU and national 2030 targets. We need to maintain and further build momentum.”

A summary of the trends from key sectors:

Energy Industries: Emissions decreased by 21.6 per cent to 7.8 Mt CO2eq. This was driven by a 12-fold increase in imported electricity (9.5 per cent of electricity supply in 2023), in combination with an increase in the share of renewable energy (to 40.7 per cent in 2023) and a reduction in the use of coal, oil and peat. The emissions intensity of power generation decreased from 332g CO2/kWh in 2022 to a historic low of 255g CO2/kWh in 2023.

Agriculture: Agriculture emissions decreased by 4.6 per cent to 20.8 Mt CO2eq due to an 18 per cent reduction in fertiliser nitrogen use, reduced lime application and overall reduction in numbers of livestock. Dairy cow numbers increased by 0.6 per cent, however total milk production decreased by 4.7 per cent in 2023.

Residential: Emissions decreased by 7 per cent to 5.3 Mt CO2eq. This was the second substantial annual reduction in succession. High fuel prices and a milder winter were significant contributors to the reduction in fossil fuel use, in addition to the introduction of nationwide solid fuel regulations. Over 30,000 heat-pumps were installed in Irish homes in 2023 bringing the total to 120,000.

Transport: emissions increased marginally by 0.3 per cent to 11.8 Mt CO2eq. Emissions are now 4.3 per cent below 2019 pre-Covid levels. An increase in electric vehicles and biofuel use partly offset a 3 per cent increase in the vehicle fleet.

Commenting, Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager, EPA said:

“There are many positives to be taken from this assessment. We see emission reduction milestones achieved in many key sectors in 2023. Residential emissions were at their lowest level since 1990, we saw the largest year on year reductions to date in the Energy and Agriculture sectors, all of which have contributed to a decrease in our emissions per capita from 11.4 to 10.4 tonnes CO2eq in 2023.”

In line with new research in the latest update to the inventory, the EPA refined the information underpinning the agricultural figures which has led to an 8.5 Mt CO2eq reduction in emissions from agricultural activities from 2018-2023. It is imperative that this is now incorporated into carbon budgets to ensure that they reflect latest science, data and knowledge on greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland.