Irish Government scrapes a B- in its fourth climate report card from three independent experts
"Ireland has not lacked ambition when it comes to climate, but it has lacked agility"
The Irish Government has scraped a B- for the first time since its annual report card on climate and the environment was launched in 2021. According to the latest independent analysis commissioned by Friends of the Earth, higher scores on waste and circular economy alongside leaps to protect nature and biodiversity are the reasons for the jump from C+ last year.
But according to the three experts behind the report, the government is still performing ‘poorly’ when it comes to water and marine protections as well as agriculture and forestry.
Dr Cara Augustenborg, University College Dublin; Dr Diarmuid Torney, Dublin City University and Dr Paul Deane, University College Cork believe the government has ‘turned a corner’ in the last four years.
READ MORE: Government long way from A* in its latest climate report card from experts
But they said stronger and faster action is needed to fulfil promises to address the climate crisis and protect our environment.
They added: “The commitments in their Programme for Government were not enough to achieve a truly sustainable society or meet our national and international climate targets.
“While we are relieved Ireland has turned a corner away from our ‘climate laggard’ origins, this is just the start of a long and important journey for Irish society, and momentum will have to accelerate over successive governments to make Ireland a genuinely sustainable economy.”
The fourth and final report card from Friend of the Earth has identified six areas where the experts say additional commitments are needed.
They include planning for fossil fuel phase-out and sustainable agriculture to public engagement and the alignment of state agencies with climate obligations.
Government was marked out of 10 in nine subject areas. Their highest scores were in Waste and Circular Economy (8.5 - up from 7.5 last year); Nature & Biodiversity (7.5 - up from 6.5 last year) and Buildings (7.5 - up marginally from 7 last year).
The lowest scoring categories were Water & Marine (5 - same as last year) and Agriculture & Forestry (5 - up from 4 last year).
Dr Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, said: “This year, the Government has done enough to merit moving from last year’s C+ grade to a B-.
“Nonetheless, the Government shouldn’t be content to rest on their laurels. The progress achieved needs to be sustained over the years ahead.”
Dr Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures, MaREI, University College Cork, said they have “laid a good foundation to build a decarbonised future” but “the challenge now is to build the structure at speed”.
“Ireland has not lacked ambition when it comes to climate, but it has lacked agility, and this will be the challenge for the next government.”
Poor and moderate scores out of 10
Water and Marine: 5
Some progress in drinking and waste water but Government dropped from 5.5 last year over persistent, inexcusable delays in passing a Marine Protected Areas Bill.
Agriculture and forestry: 5
Score up because of a 4.6% reduction in agriculture emissions while organic farming trebled. But progress in forestry remained very poor with land remaining a source of emissions rather than a carbon sink. Impact of intensive farming on water quality also remains a ‘serious concern’.
Climate: 6.5
More progress in commitments to address climate change this year with respect to governance, emissions reductions and adaptation.
Transport: 6.5
Emissions from the sector remain “stubbornly high” while some big projects entered planning system far too late in government’s tenure. Praise for increase in active travel funding, EV strategy, speed limit reviews, all island rail review and public transport fare cuts.
Dr Cara Augustenborg, who chaired the independent expert panel, described the latest report card as “a relief this Government has largely taken their own promises seriously and delivered on a majority”.
“We are turning a corner toward a more sustainable Ireland but still have a long way to go to address worrying trends in environmental health.
“I hope this process shows the next Government we are always watching, and civil society will continue to demand more ambition and faster implementation of environmental commitments in any future Programme for Government.”
Oisín Coghlan, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth who commissioned the assessment, said the fourth assessment shows “when a Government prioritises an issue in the Programme for Government, progress is possible” as “climate polluting emissions have begun to fall”.
“Friends of the Earth will now be pushing all political parties heading into the General Election to commit to the faster and fairer climate action we need to stay within the binding limits on pollution we have agreed to under Irish and EU law.”
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
