EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016 - An Assessment

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Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016 48
National Climate Science
Research
Advancing understanding and solutions.
The EPA has led on the development and co-ordination
of climate change research in Ireland. The vision is to
inform a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient Ireland by 2050.
The approach has been to develop national capacity in
co-operation with other state agencies and government
departments and to advance research along four linked
thematic areas:
n GHG emissions and removals data management
systems aim to improve quantification/reporting of
emissions and removals of GHGs. The focus is on
those activities that are critical components of Ireland’s
emissions profile, especially those associated with land
use, agriculture and bioenergy. This research supports
and informs mitigation actions and their inclusion in
national GHG inventories and projections
n Research carried out under the theme of ‘Ireland and
future climate, impacts and adaptation’ aims to provide
analysis of ongoing and future climate change and to
use this to support the analysis of impacts-associated
risks and vulnerabilities. The goals are to inform
decision making on adaptation actions at the national,
sectoral and local levels. Outputs from this research are
central to risk assessment and adaptation planning at
various levels
n
ims to advance socio-economic
analysis and modelling of sectoral and cross-sectoral
transition pathways over medium to longer time
horizons, for example to 2050; this research is solutions
focused, with the aim of promoting cross-disciplinary
analysis of effective technological and behavioural
solutions at a range of scales. A key outcome from this
research has been the identification of pathways to a
carbon-neutral Ireland by 2050
n Air science research aims to address the crossovers
between air pollutants and climate change. It includes
research on ambient and local air quality and cross-
cutting issues, including the linked processes and
source activities responsible for air pollutants that are
sources of GHG emissions and influence climate.
Since 2007, the EPA has supported over 108 climate
change research projects to the value of €25 million. This
investment has produced research that has been highly
influential on national policy development, supported
national engagement with EU and UN bodies and is
estimated to have provided savings of €50 million in
relation to improved analysis of GHG emissions.
Outlook and Conclusions
Determined actions are the key to the transition to a
low-carbon future.
Both in Ireland and globally, 2015 was an important year
for advancing actions on climate change. The nature and
extent of the challenge are well described by the work of
the IPCC and others. The policy structures are in place.
The key challenge is moving to take effective actions. The
first National Mitigation Plan and the National Adaptation
Framework should provide the basis for the required
transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient economy
and society, as outlined in the National Policy Statement,
while meeting shorter-term emissions reduction targets.
Ireland is vulnerable to weather extremes and sea-level
rise. Its coastal assets, transport and energy infrastructure
are also vulnerable. Their vulnerability has been exposed by
recent weather extremes, which are expected to become
more frequent over the coming decades. It is in Ireland’s
interest to take effective actions to address climate change.
Ireland also needs to play an effective part in
contributing to EU and global efforts to ensure that the
global temperature increase relative to pre-industrial
temperatures stays well below 2ºC. Ireland is well
positioned to provide leadership in key areas including the
monitoring, reporting and verification of GHG emissions
and removals from agriculture and land use.
Coherent cross-government engagement in, and support
for, strategic and effective local and global actions to
address climate change is in Ireland’s interest.
Key Messages
Climate Change
Strategic planning and investment are required for
Ireland to make an effective contribution to global
actions to avoid dangerous and irreversible impacts
of climate change and to benefit from the multiple
opportunities that arise from required actions.
Ambitious and effective global actions are required to
prevent the large-scale dangerous and irreversible impacts
of climate change, and Ireland must play its part in
advancing these actions.
Globally, emissions of carbon dioxide must be reduced
to net-zero early in the second half of this century, and
other GHG emissions must be balanced before the end
of this century; Ireland’s emissions have to follow a similar
trajectory on a shorter timeline.
Considerable opportunities arise from the required
transformation in global energy, transport and land use
systems, and it is in Ireland’s interest to lead in key areas of
this transition.