A leading climate change expert has raised significant concerns about how the programme for government published yesterday intends to achieve a 7% average reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Emeritus Professor of Geography at Maynooth University John Sweeney said it appeared that reductions due to take place in the first five-year carbon budget, might not be “fully realised” until the following five-year budget.
He said this would leave what he termed “a legacy” to the next government, rather than achieving the “necessary reductions” during the current Government’s term – through methods such as “herd reduction”.
Professor Sweeney, a regular contributor to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said: “Backloading the 7% commitment to the second half of this decade is not good and runs the risk of repeating the experience of the past, when aspirations and commitments were not realised.”
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He also described as “disturbing” the use of the term “biogenic methane” in the programme for government because, he said, the “atmosphere recognises no such distinction.”
He said: “There is unlikely to be any scenario whereby – without an absolute reduction in Irish methane emissions – the end product will be compatible with the 7% emissions reductions target.”
Prof Sweeney said these problems were “compounded by the delay” in quantifying annual emissions figures. He said the only statistics currently available are from 2018 – meaning that “the 2025 performance will only be available in 2027.”
He described as “crucial” the five-year budget cycle and argued that clarity was needed on how individual departments interact with the new Climate Action Council; and what sanctions will apply for sectors not meeting their reduction targets.
While describing as “sound and ambitious” the proposed measures to facilitate the 7% emissions reductions, he warned that many of the ideas are “strategies, policy objectives and – at this stage – aspirational”.
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