This is a subscriber-only article
Negotiators for the Council of EU ministers and the European Parliament came to an agreement this Thursday, accepting the targets initially proposed last year.
Under the plan, Ireland will need to bring its greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, agriculture, waste, transport and small industry 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. This is the same as the EU average.
However, Ireland can achieve up to 5.6% of this through removing carbon from the atmosphere through activities such as afforestation and improving crops and soil management. This is the second-highest such flexibility allowed an EU member state.
Ireland can also transfer 4% of emissions from the so-called ETS sector, which covers large-scale users such as power plants, to the targets covering agriculture. This is the highest available rate in Europe.
€1bn threat
The European Parliament had voted to remove these flexibilities in June, making Ireland’s 2030 targets much stricter. The IFA estimated at the time that this would force Ireland to buy €1bn worth of emission credits from other countries.
Calculations on the starting point and progress towards the 2030 target have also been restored to last year’s original proposals, again making Ireland’s target more accessible.
The Council of EU ministers and the European Parliament must now ratify the agreement found by their representatives in the New Year.
SHARING OPTIONS: