TRANSPORT EMISSIONS WERE down slightly last year as an “over-reliance on private vehicles continues to erode progress”.

That’s according to an interim report from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) which provides data on Ireland’s energy use last year and how it was produced. 

The SEAI is Ireland’s national sustainable energy authority.

The interim report for 2024 found that transport emissions were down by just 1.2% year-on-year, despite “significant” advancements in biofuel blending and progress in switching to Electric Vehicles (EVs).

The SEAI warned that an “over-reliance on private vehicles continues to erode this progress”.

Margie McCarthy, Director of Research and Policy Insights cautioned that Ireland needs to “reduce our reliance on private vehicles” to reach our climate commitments.

The SEAI warned last year that Ireland is unlikely to meet its climate obligations, even under the “most optimistic scenario”.

The Government’s Climate Action Plan aims to halve Ireland’s emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by no later than 2050.

Ireland is also obliged to contribute to EU level targets contained within the EU Climate and Energy Framework.

If Ireland falls short of its commitments to its EU targets for 2030, or any interim targets, there may be a requirement to pay compliance costs or implement mandated additional measures to close the gap.

A recent report found that Ireland could face “staggering” costs of between €8 billion and €26 billion f it misses these legally binding climate targets.

“The longer we wait to take meaningful action, the harder it will be to achieve our climate commitments,” said McCarthy.

Elsewhere, Ireland’s energy related emissions hit its lowest level in over 30 years, falling a further 1.3% last year.

This marks an overall decrease of 11% since carbon emissions targets were introduced in 2021 and the third consecutive year with an emissions reduction.

The drop in emissions comes despite an increase in overall energy use, which grew by 2.3% last year.

Increased use of bioenergy and technologies, such as solar and heat-pumps, meant that renewable energy supplied 14.5% of Ireland’s energy requirements last year, a slight increase on 2023’s figure of 14%.

The SEAI also estimated that emissions from the electricity sector were down by 7.5% on 2023 figures.

And while renewable energy capacity increased last year, renewables supplied a slightly lower share of Ireland’s electricity than in 2023.

The SEAI said this is due to an increase in electricity demand outpacing the increase in renewable generation, as well as grid constraints and lower wind outputs.

The top three sources of electricity in Ireland last year were again natural gas (42.1%), wind (31.7%), and net-imports from interconnectors (14%).

McCarthy noted that the “changes we are making are going in the right direction” and that last year saw record levels of solar PV generation and heat pumps and further growth in overall renewable energy share.

However, she cautioned that Ireland’s ability to “meaningfully grow the renewable energy share of generation” is “challenged” by increased energy demand.

“The data shows two clear messages – if we are to meet our targets, we have no time to wait, we need to accelerate our deployment of renewable energy technologies and we have to make wise decisions on energy demand growth,” said McCarthy.

She called for Ireland to continue investing in renewable technologies and interconnectors and to retrofit housing and public building stock.

“We must continue to move to more active and public transport options where possible,” she added.

McCarthy said that meeting climate commitments “will require a collective commitment” and that “driving and supporting climate action at a national and local level is needed”.

“As individuals, we need to embrace renewable technologies and energy efficiency efforts, reduce our reliance on private vehicles and think more about how we are using our heat and electricity.

“On a policy level, we need to grow investment in renewable and grid technologies to increase our renewable energy outputs.”