Date released: October 21, 2024
22nd October 2024: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published quarterly greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland for Quarter 1 2024. This is a new series of quarterly greenhouse gas emission indicators which will support early and more frequent monitoring of progress on climate action.
The data show an overall reduction of 2.2 per cent in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same quarter last year. The largest sectoral decrease in emissions was observed in electricity generation with a reduction of 16.7 per cent (-312 kt CO2 eq). Emission reductions were also observed in the Agricultural (-2.6 per cent, -129 kt CO2 eq) and Industrial (-4.7 per cent, -69 kt CO2 eq) sectors.
Welcoming the report Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment, EPA said:
“These quarterly greenhouse gas emissions respond to an on-going need for more timely and frequent data on Ireland’s greenhouse gases. Ireland joins a small number of countries worldwide to carry out this type of assessment, which will provide valuable early and frequent indicator data for the monitoring and governance of Ireland’s climate action. The series will complement the national greenhouse gas inventory and projections prepared annually by the EPA.
Commenting on the findings, she added:
“The reduction of 2.2 per cent in Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in the first quarter of 2024, when compared with the same period last year, is welcome following the largest annual reduction in emissions outside of recession reported in 2023. This shows that we can make progress in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions when concerted action is taken.”
An increase in greenhouse gas emissions for transport (+2.7 per cent), commercial (+4.1 per cent) and residential buildings (+6.1 per cent) in Quarter 1 2024 shows the clear link between increased energy demand, largely delivered by fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Also speaking about the results, Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager of EPA’s Climate Programme said:
“These findings signal the continued impact of climate action and decarbonisation measures across Ireland’s economy and society. The assessment on a quarterly basis also highlights the impact of market prices and weather conditions.
We see reduced emissions from the electricity sector linked to increased renewables and interconnection, increases in emissions from heating associated with lower fuel price and cooler temperatures than quarter 1 2023. Poor weather conditions also impacted lime application to soils which led to lower emissions from the agriculture sector.”
The Quarterly Greenhouse Gas Emissions Indicators for Quarter 1 is 2024 available on the EPA website and the EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource is also available online.
Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie
Notes to Editor
The EPA is responsible for compiling the inventory and projections of greenhouse gas emissions and removals (GHG) for Ireland and for reporting these estimates to the European Commission and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The EPA has developed the quarterly indicator statistical production process, following an approach similar to that employed by Eurostat for Air Emissions Accounts, with support from CSO and with input from steering committee.
Quarterly figures are more susceptible to volatility and seasonality, particularly in the case of comparison to the previous quarter. In addition, these data have been seasonally adjusted to provide a clearer picture of underlying trends by eliminating the noise caused by seasonal fluctuations. An increase or decrease in quarterly emissions does not indicate an overall yearly change in the same direction.
This publication provides early indicator of trends in the greenhouse gas emissions in advance of final inventory data being submitted to the EU and UN. The report will facilitate the monitoring and reporting processes associated with the National Climate Objective and associated Carbon budgets, annual review of the Climate Action Plan and sectoral reporting.
An overview of changes in emissions since the year ago quarter (Quarter 1 2023) is presented in Table 1 and since the previous quarter (Quarter 4 2023) in Table 2. More trend figures, tables and background information are available in the published report.
Table 1 Summary of Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023
| Sector | Emissions Q1 2024 (KT CO2 eq) | Comparison with Q1 2023 (kt CO2 eq) | Comparison with Q1 2023 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 13,497 | -305.8 | -2.2 |
| -Agriculture | 4,892 | -128.5 | -2.6 |
| -Buildings (Commercial and Public) | 367 | 14.3 | 4.1 |
| -Buildings (Residential) | 1,933 | 111.7 | 6.1 |
| -Electricity | 1,561 | -311.9 | -16.7 |
| -Industry | 1,398 | -69.1 | -4.7 |
| -Other | 378 | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| -Transport | 2,968 | 78.2 | 2.7 |
Table 2: Summary of Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023
| Sector | Q1 2024 (kt CO2 eq) | Comparison with Q1 2023 (kt CO2 eq) | Comparison with Q4 2023 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 13,497 | 23.3 | 0.2 |
| -Agriculture | 4,892 | -119.4 | -2.4 |
| -Buildings (Commercial and Public) | 367 | 23 | 6.7 |
| -Buildings (Residential) | 1,933 | 78.1 | 4.2 |
| Electricity | 1,561 | -5.2 | -0.3 |
| Industry | 1,398 | -35.3 | -2.5 |
| Other | 378 | 6.5 | 1.8 |
| Transport | 2,968 | 75.6 | 2.6 |
Notes:
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, amending the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, provides the framework for Ireland to meet its international and EU climate commitments and sets a legally binding target of a 51 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 on 2018 levels.
Units: 1 Mt = 1,000 kilotonnes
CO2 Equivalent: greenhouse gases other than CO2 (i.e. methane, nitrous oxide and so-called F-gases) may be converted to CO2 equivalent using their global warming potentials.
F-gases: These gases comprise HFCs (Hydroflurocarbons), PFCs (Perfluorcarbons), SF6 (Sulphur Hexafluoride) and NF3 (Nitrogen Trifluoride). They are much more potent than the naturally occurring greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide).
Greenhouse Gas Sectors: as aligned with Ireland’s Climate Action Plan:
