Ireland's Climate Progress: What the EEA 2025 Report Reveals
In 2023, Ireland achieved its lowest greenhouse gas emissions in three decades. The European Environment Agency’s Trends and Projections in Europe 2025 report places Ireland within the broader EU context of climate progress—revealing both genuine achievements and the significant acceleration still required to meet 2030 targets.
The Good News
Ireland’s total emissions fell to 55 Mt CO2eq in 2023, a 6.8% drop from the previous year. Per capita emissions declined from 11.4 to 10.4 tonnes—a meaningful shift in the right direction.
The energy sector led the way with a remarkable 21.6% reduction, driven by renewable electricity reaching 40.7% of supply. Wind power alone now provides 33.7% of Ireland’s electricity, with over 4.7 GW of installed capacity.
The residential sector hit its lowest emissions since 1990, supported by 30,000 heat pump installations in 2023 (bringing the national total to 120,000). Even agriculture—Ireland’s largest emissions source—saw a 4.6% reduction through an 18% cut in fertilizer use.
| Sector | 2023 Change | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | -21.6% | Renewables + grid decarbonization |
| Residential | -7.1% | Heat pumps, efficiency |
| Agriculture | -4.6% | Reduced fertilizer use |
| Transport | +0.3% | Fleet growth offsetting EV gains |
The Challenge
The EEA report places Ireland’s situation in stark EU context. Ireland has the second-largest gap to its 2030 Effort Sharing target among all Member States—33 percentage points behind, second only to Malta at 61 points. In 2023, Ireland’s ESR emissions exceeded its annual emission allocation, requiring the use of flexibility mechanisms to comply.
Despite domestic progress, Ireland remains only 10% below 2005 emission levels—far short of the 42% reduction required by 2030. The national Climate Act target of 51% reduction is even more ambitious. Current projections suggest Ireland will achieve approximately 23% reduction by 2030 with existing measures fully implemented.
On the positive side, the EEA notes Ireland is performing above its trajectory for renewable energy deployment and below trajectory for both primary and final energy consumption—signs that the energy transition is gaining momentum.
Transport remains the only sector with increasing emissions, while agriculture—despite improvements—still accounts for 38% of Ireland’s total emissions at 20.8 Mt CO2eq.
The Path Forward
The energy sector’s transformation demonstrates that rapid decarbonization is achievable. Ireland’s 2030 target of 80% renewable electricity requires scaling to 9 GW onshore wind, 5 GW offshore wind, and 8 GW solar—ambitious but technically feasible.
Key opportunities include:
- Offshore wind: Ireland’s Atlantic coast offers exceptional wind resources
- EV acceleration: Current projections of 640,000 EVs can be pushed toward the 945,000 target
- Agricultural efficiency: Precision farming and reduced livestock intensity
- Building retrofits: Continuing the heat pump momentum with deep retrofits
Ireland’s emissions trajectory shows that policy intervention works. The question is whether the pace of change can triple to meet legally binding commitments. The foundation is being laid—now comes the harder work of scaling what’s proven effective.
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