The Plan clearly identifies the nature and scale of the challenge. It outlines the current state of play across key sectors including Electricity, Transport, Built Environment, Industry and Agriculture and charts a course towards ambitious decarbonisation targets. 

Ireland will support the ambition emerging within the European Union to achieve a net zero target.

By 2050, the plan commits to evaluate in detail the changes required to adopt such a goal in Ireland. Planners have also sought a pathway to 2030 which would be consistent with a net zero target by 2050,

considering that residual agriculture emissions will need to be balanced by negative emissions technologies in energy systems and increased levels of afforestation. The government have planned cautiously by

assuming a low price trajectory for oil.

Delivering such an integrated set of policies will require a deep level of collaboration across Government. The model will be built around ambitious goals, consistent implementation, transparent accountability, and capacity for continuous feedback and learning. The approach

adopted will closely follow the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee and build on the learnings from the success of the Action Plan for Jobs. Key features will include:

• A five year Carbon Budget and sectoral targets with a detailed plan of actions to deliver them.

• A Climate Action Delivery Board overseen by the Department of the Taoiseach to ensure delivery.

• An independent Climate Action Council to recommend the Carbon Budget and evaluate policy.

• Strong accountability to an Oireachtas Climate Action Committee.

• Carbon proofing all Government decisions and major investments.

While this framework of goals and performance monitoring is crucial, it will be equally important that every public body adopts a Mandate for Climate Action. Accordingly, with leadership from top management, these bodies will be engaged and empowered to be innovative, not just in leading the way by reducing their own emissions, but also by stimulating and inspiring action across Irish society.

Some of the key measures which will help create a framework across the entire public sector and beyond to support change shall include:

• Consistent development of a Green Procurement Strategy.

• Targets of 50% Energy Efficiency and 30% greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

• A trajectory for the price of carbon to create incentives which help avoid locking in carbon intensive technologies.

• The realisation of the principle underpinning Project Ireland 2040 for compact, connected, and sustainable development; and

• Competitive funding rounds to promote research and innovation to meet the climate challenge.

Agriculture

For the agricultural sector the main points in the plan are defined as:

• Deliver substantial verifiable greenhouse gas abatement through adoption of a specified range of improvements in farming practice in line with recommendations from Teagasc

• Deliver expansion of forestry planting and soil management to ensure that carbon abatement from land-use is delivered over the period 2021 to 2030 and in the years beyond

• Support diversification within Agriculture and land use to develop sustainable and circular value chains and business models for lower carbon intensity farming, including, organic production, and protection and enhancement of biodiversity and water quality; and the

production of bio-based products and bioenergy through the Common Agricultural Policy and implementation of the National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy

Enterprise and Services

• Embed energy efficiency, replacement of fossil fuels, careful management of materials and waste, and carbon abatement across all enterprises and public service bodies.

• Mobilise clusters regionally and sectorally to become centres of excellence for the adoption of low carbon technologies.

• Plan for the delivery of quality employment and enterprise in the new areas of opportunity being opened up.

Waste and the Circular Economy

• Develop coherent reduction strategies for plastics, food waste, and resource use.

• Increase the level and the quality of recycling, with less contamination and greater replacement of virgin materials by recycling. Eliminate non-recyclable plastic.

• Reduce the reliance on landfill with sharp reductions in plastics and compostables entering landfill. 

As part of Project Ireland 2040, the government have established a Climate Action Fund, designed to stimulate innovation and pioneer efforts across Irish society. The first allocation of funds leveraged four times the contribution from the fund, and has pump-primed the provision of over fifty high capacity charging points, over 60,000 homes on district heating, motor gas production from anaerobic digestion, and a nationwide LED lighting system.

This fund will be used creatively over the coming years in order to foster innovative partnership initiatives in sectors and communities. There is scope now to make our taxi fleets electric, see more farms pioneer low-carbon technologies, and for our take-aways to become compostable. The design and delivery of these calls will support trials and mainstream new thinking. The government will also ensure that

the three other Project Ireland 2040 funds, for rural and urban development and for disruptive innovation, are oriented towards supporting low-carbon initiatives.

Research funders will also build in more centrally to their programmes the opportunities to influence greenhouse gas emissions.