EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Emissions of Air Pollutants from Transport Sources Transport is a major source of air emissions and air pollution, arising primarily from the burning of diesel and petrol in standard internal combustion engine vehicles. The majority of the emissions to air from transport in Ireland arises from diesel and petrol consumption by private cars and heavy goods vehicles (trucks). This is similar to the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions, as shown in Figure 11.2. To protect the environment and human health from air pollution, the EU has implemented a regulatory framework, for all sectors of activity, in the National Emissions Ceilings Directive (2016/2284/EU). Ireland has targets to limit emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ammonia, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). In Ireland, transport is the principal source of NO x emissions, contributing approximately 41 per cent of the total in 2018, and a smaller contributor to sulphur dioxide, ammonia, NMVOCs and PM 2.5 (EPA, 2020b). NO x emissions are projected by the EPA to achieve compliance with the Directive in 2030, provided that the measures announced in the Climate Action Plan (including significant electrification of the transport sector) are implemented in full (EPA, 2020b). Figure 11.3 highlights the historical and projected future trends in NO x emissions in Ireland. Figure 11.3  Trend in NO x emissions 1990-2030, current and future emission ceilings (Source: EPA, 2020b) Power Stations Industrial Residential & Commercial Transport Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing Fuel Other Agriculture 2020-2029 Reduction Commitment 2030 Reduction Commitment kilotonnes NO X Year 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2030 66.836 40.626 NEC 2010-2019 Ceiling Note: Article 4(3) of the National Emissions Ceilings Directive provides that emissions of NO x and NMVOCs from categories 3B (manure management) and 3D (agricultural soils) are not counted for the purpose of complying with 2020 and 2030 ceilings. In the last three decades the general trend has been downward for a number of key air pollutants from transport, in contrast to the upward trend in CO 2 emissions in the same period. These patterns are common across the EU, as air pollution targets are tightened in all Member States. Technological improvements that were expected to be effective in reducing air pollution, through EU fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards, have not delivered the projected pollutant reductions for nitrogen dioxide and have also not delivered for carbon dioxide. It is hoped that the introduction of newer passenger vehicles, that meet the Euro 6D-TEMP and follow-on standards, will contribute to improvement in some pollutants. In Ireland, the replacement of vehicles with newer, more efficient models has also contributed; a useful co-benefit of policy for energy and carbon efficiency. However, recent increases in the size of the national vehicle fleet and moves towards diesel engines have limited further improvement (EPA, 2020b). Industry data also appear to show an increasing dominance of the more energy- and carbon-intensive sport utility vehicle (SUV) market segment, at 39.4 per cent of registrations in 2019 and increasing (SIMI, 2020). 284