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

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Table 12.1  Energy use in 2018 and emissions of carbon dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (Source: EPA) FUEL TYPE KEY POLLUTANTS LINKED TO FOSSIL ENERGY USE Energy Carbon dioxide Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) Nitrogen oxides PJ a % share kt % share kt % share kt % share Liquid fuels 255.2 47.5 18,602 51.7 2.43 23.3 56.7 77.1 Refinery gas 3.8 0.7 300 0.8 0.00 0.0 0.2 0.3 Gasoline 34.4 6.4 2406 6.7 0.20 1.9 1.25 1.6 Kerosene 39.6 7.4 2830 7.9 0.12 1.1 2.2 3.0 Jet kerosene 0.2 0.0 15 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.18 0.1 Fuel oil 2.46 0.4 180 0.5 0.05 0.5 0.2 0.3 LPG 7.6 1.4 485 1.3 0.01 0.1 0.5 0.7 Gasoil/diesel/DERV 161.2 30.1 11,815 32.9 1.95 18.8 49.6 67.4 Petroleum coke 6.1 1.1 571 1.6 0.10 0.9 2.9 3.7 Solid fuels 59.9 11.2 6080 16.9 6.54 63.1 6.46 8.7 Coal 31.4 5.9 2952 8.2 3.17 30.6 4.01 5.4 Peat 28.5 5.3 3128 8.7 3.37 32.5 2.5 3.3 Natural gas 188.6 35.3 10,459 29.1 0.14 1.4 8.4 11.4 a 1 petajoule (PJ) is equivalent to 277,778 MWh. Note: DERV is White Diesel or Road Diesel; kt is kilotonne; LPG is liquid petroleum gas. The Transport Sector Energy used in transport has increased continuously since 2012, in line with the economic recovery, and made up 35 per cent of the primary energy consumed in 2018, producing 31 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions and 50 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions. In 2018, transport accounted for 35 per cent of the primary energy consumed, with approximately 7 per cent of this being used in aviation (SEAI, 2019a). Road transport used approximately 27 per cent of total energy while rail used less than 1 per cent. Road transport was the largest contributor to Ireland’s energy-related pollutant emissions such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide in 2018. Passenger car use represented almost half of the energy use within transport. Transport and mobility are complex issues that are central to our economic and social systems but also create burdens for these systems. Current transport systems largely reflect historical development and settlement patterns. These have given rise to systematic and structural mobility issues relating to, for example, transport modes, road congestion and working arrangements. Integrated approaches to spatial and mobility planning can contribute to reducing transport-related economic and social losses as well as reduced energy use in transport. The extent of the dependence of transport systems in Ireland on liquid fossil fuels is unsustainable. A range of zero emission or low-emission transport solutions exists. These solutions include electrification and emerging hydrogen-based transport, which can be deployed across a range of transport modes without addressing systemic and structural issues. However, strategic approaches to planning, mobility and energy that embrace the avoid- shift-improve framework discussed in Chapter 11 can have multiple gains, including for overall energy use in transport and its impacts. Currently, there are several issues related to the extent of energy used in transport: 310