The Climate Action Plan 2023 – Fresh impetus to meet this key challenge

On 21 December 2022, the Irish Government published its Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP 2023), which is the second annual update to Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2019. Our previous analysis on the Climate Action Plan 2019 can be accessed here.

Effect of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021

CAP 2023 is the first plan to be prepared since the enactment of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 (the 2021 Act) which places a legally binding objective on the State to pursue and achieve the transition to a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy by 2050.

Another addition to the 2021 Act was the requirement under Section 15 that all public bodies (widely defined) "shall" perform their functions "in a manner consistent with" the most recent climate plans and strategies. Late last year An Bord Pleanála had to concede a judicial review challenge to its decision to grant permission for the proposed Galway outer relief ring road development. This was because it had not considered the Climate Action Plan 2021 in accordance with Section 15, even though that Plan had only been published days before its decision. That matter is currently back with the Board for a review of the decision.

What does CAP 2023 say?

CAP 2023 builds upon the Climate Action Plans of 2019 and 2021 by setting out the roadmap to deliver on Ireland's climate ambition. Notably, CAP 2023 acknowledges that Ireland has "first-hand" experience of the consequences of climate change, such as:

• All seasons having seen a rise in temperature and the annual average surface air temperature having increased by over 0.9°C in the last 120 years
• A reduction in the number of frost days and shortening length of the frost season
• Sea levels around Ireland having risen by approximately 2 to 3mm per year since the early 1990s, and
• Projections predicting a significant reduction in average annual levels of spring and summer rainfall with a substantial increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events in winter and autumn.

CAP 2023 comprises 282 pages and 22 chapters. It sets out Ireland's plans to achieve net zero in considerable detail. This overview is confined to the so-called "Six Vital High Impact Sectors" as set out by Government in its summary:

1. Electricity and Renewables

CAP 2023 aims to facilitate a large-scale deployment of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. More specific targets, including the phasing out and ending the use of coal and peat in electricity generation, are as follows:

2. Industry

CAP 2023 states that industry accounted for 10.2% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Therefore, de-carbonising the manufacturing industry as well as de-coupling the linkage between fossil fuel use and economic progress is vital. Key targets include:

3. Built environment

CAP 2023 notes that the built environment accounted for 12.3% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 and contains the following key targets:

• All new dwellings designed and constructed to Nearly Zero Energy Building standard by 2025, and Zero Emission Building standard by 2030
• Equivalent of 120,000 dwellings retrofitted to BER B2 or cost optimal equivalent by 2025, and 500,000 dwellings by 2030
• Up to 0.8 TWh of district heating installed capacity by 2025, and up to 2.5 TWh by 2030
• 170,000 new dwellings using heat pumps by 2025, and 280,000 by 2030
• 45,000 existing dwellings using heat pumps by 2025, and 400,000 by 2030, and
• Up to 0.4 TWh of heating provided by renewable gas by 2025 and up to 0.7 TWh by 2030.

4. Transport

CAP 2023 recognises that transformative behavioral and systemic change will be required to achieve its emissions abatement ambition in transport. Targets for transport under CAP 2023 include:

• A 20% reduction in total vehicle kilometres, a reduction in fuel usage, and significant increases to sustainable transport trips and modal share
• Fleet electrification and use of biofuel, and
• Increase walking and cycling networks.

5. Agriculture

CAP 2023 acknowledges that the agriculture sector is undergoing a significant transformation to deliver the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required, which will have an impact across Ireland’s agriculture and food production systems. CAP 2023 lists the following key measures and actions for agriculture:

• Reducing nitrogen emissions
• Reducing methane emissions
• Increasing carbon capture
• Enhancing biodiversity
• Providing diversification options for livestock farmers
• Enhancing adaptation and
• Supporting the development of new research.

6. Land use, Change and Forestry

CAP 2023 lists the following measures and actions for land use and forestry:

• Increasing annual afforestation rates from 2,000 hectares per annum in 2021 and 2022 to 8,000 hectares per annum from 2023 onwards, in order to deliver an additional 28,000 hectares of afforestation across the first carbon budget period
• Develop, assess, and adopt a new Forestry Programme and Coillte’s Strategic Vision
• Promote forest management initiatives in both public and private forests to increase carbon sinks and stores
• Improve management for carbon sequestration of 200,000 hectares of grasslands on mineral soils
• Reduce the management intensity of grasslands on 25,000 hectares of drained organic soils, and
• Rehabilitate 33,000 hectares of peatlands.

Conclusion

Ambitious in scale but necessary to tackle the most long-term global challenge of our time, CAP 2023 is a welcome roadmap. The key will be in how it gets delivered.

For more information on this topic, please contact Alison Fanagan, Consultant, Síofra Heffernan, Solicitor or any other member of ALG's Environmental & Planning team.

Published 23 January 2023