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

Chapter 16: Conclusions SYSTEM CHANGE – DELIVERY ON SECTORAL AND SOCIETAL OUTCOMES NEEDS TO BE ACCELERATED SOE 9: Clean Energy Ireland needs to Move Rapidly Away from the Extensive Use of Fossil Fuels to the Use of Clean Energy Systems The emissions from the combustion of mainly imported fossil fuels are damaging for our health and our environment and drive climate change. The transition from reliance on fossil energy to a clean energy future for heating, electricity and transport is essential for the protection of human health, the climate and the environment and has multiple benefits for sustainable development and energy security. Transport is a major driver of GHG emissions and air pollution because of its reliance on fossil fuels (Chapter 11). GHG emissions from this sector are increasing. This is not only a case of exceeding GHG targets, it is also a health and quality-of-life issue. Dublin is now ranked as one of the most congested cities in Europe for road traffic. There are plans to improve the emissions performance of the transport sector over the next decade by using electric vehicles, but public transport also needs to play a major role. Under the Climate Action Plan, the target is to increase the number of electric vehicles by 2030 to about one million. This requires a major shift in consumers’ choice of transport, which needs to be strongly promoted. We also need to focus on the challenge of greening public transport. These are all positive from a GHG and air pollution perspective, but it does not solve all of the environmental impacts, such as noise emissions along busy motorways and land take for any additional road building programmes to tackle congestion. ‘Avoid, shift and improve’ is the hierarchy of change needed to transition to a sustainable transport system (Chapter 11). We should look at the avoidance of emissions through better spatial planning, more accessible low-carbon public transport and reducing unnecessary travel where possible. Technology and new working methods could also reduce the demand for travel, resulting in reduced emissions. Improvements include using more energy-efficient vehicles, electric vehicles and non-fossil fuels. A shift away from a reliance on personalised car use to low-carbon public transport, particularly in urban areas, is needed to reduce emissions, noise pollution and congestion. Simplest of all, spatial planning should be improved through the design of cleaner, greener and quieter towns and cities that facilitate and encourage more cycling and walking. This has been achieved in many places across Europe. Energy from fossil fuel provides almost 90 per cent of the energy used in electricity generation, heating and transport (Chapter 12). To become carbon neutral, this trend will need to be reversed, with the bulk of energy needing to come from renewables in the future. Overall, the energy sector is the biggest source of GHG emissions, when fuel used for electricity generation, transport and heating is included. It is also the major pressure on local air quality. Ireland has abundant natural resources for the development of a modern, clean and efficient renewable energy sector that uses wind, solar and ocean energy. Any such transition will need to be implemented within a spatial planning framework that ensures the protection of human health and other national resources, including nature and landscape. It must have people at its core and plan for the changes to local areas and economies that come with this transition away from fossil fuels. The Climate Action Plan includes a target of 70 per cent electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030, the upgrading of 500,000 existing homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 equivalent by 2030 and the phase-out of coal and peat electricity generation (DCCAE, 2019). The achievement of these targets will require a concerted cross-sectoral and integrated approach to energy and land use planning and construction standards. 443