Achieving 5% emissions cut in 2023 is ‘challenging’ but possible, says Eamon Ryan

Minister for the environment and transport and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has insisted a 5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is possible in 2023 notwithstanding economic growth and an increase in population.

Mr Ryan argued the Government could turn around the net increase in emissions recorded for 2021 (with the same forecast for 2022) and achieve the 4.8 per cent reductions required each year to lower emissions by 51 per cent by 2030 (compared with 2018).

“Is it possible for us to do a 4.8 per cent reduction each year? I think it is. Our challenge is not small because if you look at this year, there’s at least 100,000 additional people who came into Ireland: from work permits, from Ukraine and from the international refugee applications. That’s 100,000 additional people in our economy this year.

“The CSO analysis says our economy grew by 8 per cent. So we need to cut 5 per cent while our population is also probably rising 2 per cent. That’s 10 per cent growth in total.”

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Mr Ryan was speaking to journalists at a round-table interview at the end of December. He said that there was no opt out from this target for the Government.

“What I keep saying to my colleagues is we do not have an opt out. We can’t opt out on Irish law. We can’t opt out on European law and we’re not going to opt out as a green country and say we’ve kind of given up on this,” he said.

Mr Ryan said the Government would focus in on quick wins, areas where emissions could be reduced quickly.

He said a big increase in public transport trips, especially by bus, would make a big difference in reducing the number of car journeys.

He said the uptake in bus trips was already evident. “The total number of public-service obligation [PSO] transport trips from November this year compared to the previous year is up 54 per cent. The local Connecting Ireland services are up 114 per cent. I was talking to someone down in Kerry this year. They have had 40,000 extra passengers this year, a 20-fold increase in the passenger numbers.

“I believe we can get quick gains to reduce emissions by giving buses priority and putting in frequent services that aren’t there at the present time. That’s one of the best ways of getting the emissions down quickly.”

He said the Government would continue to reallocate road space to allow the bus system work quickly. He accepted that would not be easy, politically, but said the State had no other choice.

Mr Ryan said the Government had allotted considerable resources to local authorities for pathfinder projects focused on public and sustainable travel. He warned councils that the funds would be withdrawn if not used.

“If councils are not on track to deliver on them within three years, then I’ve said to them very clearly the money goes elsewhere.”

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said it had had exceeded its target of 26,940 retrofits in 2022 and expected to reach its target of 37,000 in 2023. In addition, it said the 10,000 target for homes to install solar panels has been surpassed.