THE government has agreed on a landmark 25 per cent reduction in Ireland’s agricultural emissions by the end of the decade.
An agreement between the coalition parties was struck Thursday afternoon with a cabinet note stipulating that emissions from agriculture, which is responsible for nearly 40 percent of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, will fall by 25 percent by the end of the decade.
It will bring significant changes to farmers and farming practices in the coming years as it entails a major overhaul of Ireland’s agricultural and agri-food sector.
Farmers will be encouraged to adopt more climate-friendly farming practices, such as carbon storage, energy generation from solar panels and converting agricultural waste into gas.
Such changes are expected to lead to a gradual and natural reduction in the national
Meanwhile, the target for commercial buildings is to reduce emissions by 45 percent and 40 percent for residential buildings.
The target for the industry will be 35 percent according to the plan
Talks between the three leaders of the coalition parties and Agriculture Secretary Charlie McConalogue had intensified over the past 48 hours to agree a comprehensive climate plan before the end of this month.
In the closing hours of the negotiations, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Green Party, had called for a cut of 26 percent or more, while Mr Conalogue had pushed for a cut of 24 percent by 2030.
A compromise on a 25 percent reduction is likely to be criticized by environmentalists and farmers’ groups alike, with a number of rural Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers also likely to need to be convinced to support the proposals.
The target for the energy sector is set at 75 percent, while the transport sector must reduce emissions by 50 percent according to plans to be agreed by the cabinet.
Climate minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan is expected to make an announcement tonight on the first of their kind climate targets.
The main bottleneck remained the target for the agricultural sector, which is expected to be between 24 and 26 percent of carbon emissions by 2030.
The highest target for the sector was a 30 percent reduction in emissions, but there was enormous resistance to the proposal from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Agriculture Secretary Charlie McConalogue had urged to keep the target for farmers as low as possible.
Over the past 24 hours, talks have intensified on how to achieve the government’s target of reducing overall carbon emissions by 51 percent by 2030.
While the agricultural industry target has proven to be the most controversial, there has also been much debate about the limits to be placed on other sectors, including transport, energy and industry.
The main concerns of those involved in the negotiations have been the introduction of objectives that can realistically be achieved by the sectors concerned.
A series of incentives are also being prepared to encourage farmers and companies to adopt a more sustainable approach to their activities.
A so-called ‘accelerator team’ has been appointed within the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management to initiate the necessary government policy required to achieve a significant reduction in CO2 emissions by road users.
The agreed ranges for the limits are:
Electricity: 75 pcs
Transport: 50pcs
Buildings: 44-56pc
Industry/enterprise: 29-41 st
Agriculture: 22-30 pcs
Land use, land use change and forestry: 37-58pc
It is expected that the upper limit for most sectors, with the exception of agriculture, will be announced when the final figures are published.