Publications
Basing Ireland’s carbon budgets on temperature neutrality would undermine obligations under the Paris Agreement
Ireland has committed, through the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 and by ratifying the Paris Agreement, to pursue climate action with the highest possible ambition. Ireland is also bound under ambitious and binding climate targets at the EU level: a 55% reduction by 2030, a 90% reduction by 2040 (under discussion), and net-zero greenhouse gases by 2050. Together, that means doing everything feasible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to make a fair contribution to the Paris Agreement temperature goal limiting warming to 1.5°C. We are now perilously close to breaking that limit. Achieving the Paris Agreement goals requires rapid and sustained emissions reductions across all greenhouse gases, including methane (CH4), which is responsible for around 0.5°C of warming to date as a result of human activities. Given Ireland’s position as among the world’s highest per-capita emitters of methane, its approach to this gas in particular will set a precedent.
- Authors
- Year
- 2025
- Publication Name
- University College Cork
- Category
- Policy brief
- Keywords
- Temperature Neutrality, Carbon Budgets, Ireland
- Project
- Link to Publication
- /en/media/research/energypolicyandmodellinggroup/BasingIreland’scarbonbudgetsontemperatureneutralitywouldundermineobligationsundertheParisAgreement.pdf
Abstract
The Climate Change Advisory Council (the Council) has done important work and led an extensive process in preparing and proposing Ireland’s second cycle of carbon budgets, an approach which has been documented in detail. However, the Council’s choice to interpret ‘climate neutrality’ as temperature neutrality (or ‘no additional warming‘) and use this as the basis for its proposed carbon budgets, carries serious risks. This interpretation allows high ongoing methane emissions to be treated as climate neutral, even though they continue to cause high ongoing warming.