The EPA’s role in addressing climate change challenges includes collating national greenhouse gas emissions and projections; regulating emissions from industrial sectors; supporting climate science research; supporting behavioural change and facilitating the National Dialogue on Climate Action. Note: These pages present provisional 1990-2023 Inventory data (updated July 2024) and the EPA's latest 2023-2030 projections estimates (updated May 2024)
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“EVERY BIT OF WARMING MATTERS. EVERY YEAR MATTERS.
EVERY CHOICE MATTERS”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Ireland decreased in 2023
Change in emissions since 2022
-6.8%Emissions decreases were driven by the reductions in the Electricity generation, Residential sector, Agriculture and Industry. The overall emissions reduction, while welcome, falls short of reductions required to achieve National and new EU targets.
Ireland’s latest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 1990-2023 are provisional figures based on the SEAI’s energy balance released in June 2024.
Latest emissions data
55.01 Mt CO2eqIreland’s GHG emissions are estimated to be 55.01 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2eq)
Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 2023 due to the reduction in coal, oil and peat use and an increase in renewable energy for electricity generation
Emissions mainly from electricity generation
-21.6%Decreases in coal 44.2%, oil 78.2% and natural gas 7.2% used in electricity generation in 2023
Residential/household sector was responsible for 9.7% of Ireland's GHG emissions in 2023
Residential emissions
-7.1%Compared to 2022, the reduction was driven by high fuel prices, a milder winter and a shift away from emission intensive fuel such as coal and peat, to oil and natural gas
Emissions increased by 0.3% in 2023 following a 6% increase in 2022
Transport
+0.3%At the end of 2023, there were almost 110,000 electric vehicles in Ireland, approximately 56% of the Climate Action Plan target for 2025.
Decreased emissions in 2023, driven by decreased nitrogen fertiliser use (-18% in 2023), dairy cows (+0.6%), other cattle (-1.1%) and sheep (-1.2%)
The Commercial/Public services sector estimates emissions from fuel combustion for space and hot water heating in commercial and public buildings in Ireland.
Commercial/Public combined share of emissions
2.6%Emissions from Commercial Services and Public Services decreased by 2.5% and 2.7% respectively in 2023.
Emissions from combustion of fuels in manufacturing industry. It also includes combustion for combined heat and power for own use in these industries.
Manufacturing combustion emissions decreased
-4.6%This sector was responsible for 7.5% of Ireland's total GHG emissions in 2023.
In 2023 the industrial processes sector was responsible for 3.9% and F-gases 1.3% of Ireland's total GHG emissions
Industrial processes
-5.8%Cement sector process emissions decreased by 6.5% in 2023 following a 7.4% decrease in 2022
Forest land, Cropland, Grassland, Wetlands, Settlements, Other land and Harvested Wood products are included in LULUCF
Data for 2023 shows that land use, land use change and forestry activity emit
5.6 Mt CO2eqThis sector is a net source of carbon in all years. A dedicated Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) publication summarising recent changes is in preparation.
The provisional estimates of greenhouse gas emissions indicate that Ireland exceeds its 2023 annual limit, without the use of flexibilities, set under the EU’s Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) by 2.27 Mt CO2eq.
Compliance with national target requires a reduction of
51%by 2030 compared to 2018. National total emissions (including LULUCF) for 2021 and 2022 and provisional 2023 have used 63.9% of the 295 Mt CO2eq Carbon Budget for the five-year period 2021-2025.
Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) accounted for 61.0% of the national total GHG emissions (excluding LULUCF) of 55,606.6 kt CO₂ equivalent in 2023, with CH₄ and N₂O contributing 28.9% and 8.8%, respectively. The combined emissions of HFCs, PFCs, SF₆ and NF₃ accounted for 1.3% of total GHG emissions in 2022.
Carbon dioxide CO₂ is the most significant contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions of CO₂ are primarily due to combustion of fossil fuels in all sectors.
Methane (CH₄) is the second most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland and is primarily due to the agriculture sector and a the large animal population with a smaller contribution from the waste sector.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions contribute 8.8% to the national total GHG emissions in 2023. The largest contributor to the trend is the Agriculture sector with 94.2% share of total N₂O emissions in 2023.
The combined emissions of HFCs, PFCs, SF₆ and NF₃ accounted for 1.3% of total GHG emissions in 2023. These are mainly attributed to refrigeration and air conditioning emissions.
The EPA has launched a new series of quarterly greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland to support more frequent monitoring of national and sectoral progress on climate action. The series will complement the national greenhouse gas inventory and projections prepared annually by the EPA. The data from the first three months of this year show an overall reduction of 2.2 per cent compared to quarter 1 2023, and a 0.2 per cent increase on quarter 4 2023. It should be noted that these data have been seasonally adjusted to provide a clearer picture of the underlying trends independent of seasonal fluctuations.
In Quarter 1 2024 overall greenhouse gas emissions decreased by -2.2 % (-307.3 kt CO2 eq) compared to the same quarter last year (Quarter 1 2023) driven mainly by reductions in emissions from electricity generation (-16.7%), agriculture (-2.6%) and industrial processes (-4.7%).
The largest sectoral decrease in emissions in Quarter 1 2024 was observed in the electricity generation sector with a change of -16.7 % (-311.9 kt CO2 eq) due to reductions in coal, oil and gas use, increased share of renewable energy for electricity generation, and a doubling of the amount of net imported electricity in comparison to Quarter 1 2023.
The largest increase in emissions this quarter was observed in the Buildings sector at +5.8% (+126.0 kt CO2 eq) for residential, commercial and public buildings. Several factors contributed to this including more heating degree days and lower gas prices in Quarter 1 2024 compared to Quarter 1 2023.
Emissions across the transport sector increased by +2.7% (+78.2 kt) are rebounding to pre-COVID levels and are presently at 98 % of 2019 levels. This growth in emissions is being driven by increased sales of petrol (+9.6%) an diesel (+1.3%) compared to the same quarter last year.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol provide the basis for international action to address climate change. The objective of the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human-induced interference with the climate system. The ability of the international community to achieve this objective is dependent on an accurate knowledge of emissions trends, and on our collective ability to alter these trends. Reliable GHG inventories are essential, both at national and international level. Parties to the convention and its Kyoto Protocol are committed to developing and publishing the national emission inventories of GHGs which is a key element of assessing progress towards meeting commitments and targets.
The EPA has overall responsibility for the national greenhouse gas inventory in Ireland's national system and compiles Ireland's national greenhouse gas emission inventory on an annual basis.
Emissions data for the following gases is reported on an annual basis: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perflurocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).
The National Climate Change Strategy (2007) designated the EPA with responsibility for developing national emission projections for greenhouse gases for all key sectors of the economy. Emission projections serve to inform national policy initiatives and allow Ireland to comply with EU and UN reporting obligations on emissions projections. The EPA produces national greenhouse gas emission projections on an annual basis.
Popular FAQs
Where do the survey data underlying the estimates come from?
The data underlying the maps come from two national survey datasets (5,312 respondents) collected during May through July of 2021 and August and October 2023 as part of a collaboration between the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC). Reports using the individual-level survey data are available here:
What do these maps depict?
The maps depict estimates of the percentage of adult residents of Ireland (age 18 and over) who hold particular beliefs, attitudes, and policy preferences about climate change. The estimates were generated from a statistical model that incorporates actual survey responses but combines these responses with demographic data from the Ireland Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Census 2016 Reports - CSO - Central Statistics Office) to estimate opinions for different groups of people based on information such as their gender, age, and county of residence.
Do the maps account for differences in population density across the country?
The type of map used in this tool is called a choropleth map, which means the colours on the maps reflect the percentage of the population in a given geographic unit who would answer each question as indicated. These kinds of maps are used to represent everything from election results to census and economic data (e.g., per capita income or unemployment rates). Thus, it is important to keep in mind that some geographic areas may be large, but have few residents (e.g., Mayo), while other geographic areas may be small, but have many residents (e.g., Dublin). For reference, The Central Statistics Office has published the relevant population density information.
Do these maps reflect changes in opinions due to recent extreme weather events like Storm Ophelia/Storm Barra?
Perhaps. The maps may reflect the impacts that specific extreme weather events had on public opinion in a given geographic unit. If public opinion in a particular area has been influenced by local events it is possible that the model would detect such an influence. However, data from specific events or types of events are not explicitly built into the model as predictor variables.
How can I cite these maps?
If you publish a news article, visualization, blog post, or other publication using these maps, please include the link to the Irish Environmental Protection Agency maps page and attribution to the EPA and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
