Ireland must tackle its soaring aviation and shipping emissions if it claims to be a ‘leader in addressing climate change’

(19 June, 2023) Today, climate change NGO Opportunity Green is sending a letter to the Irish Government to express concern at Ireland’s disregard for its international, EU and domestic climate commitments, particularly in respect of the aviation and shipping sectors.  

In Ireland’s recently published Long-term Strategy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions (LTS), the government states: “Emissions from international aviation and from shipping remain outside national emissions targets for EU Member States and are not covered by the Paris Agreement.” 

This statement reflects Ireland’s inadequate action to tackle its soaring aviation and shipping emissions and adds to growing concerns about Ireland’s ability to meet its climate targets. Earlier this month, the Irish Government came under fire when analysis revealed that Ireland’s carbon budgets are overshooting recent projections set out by the Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, Ireland could risk financial penalties and legal action.

Ireland is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2015 Paris Agreement. Under the current formulation of the LTS, Ireland’s emissions from shipping and aviation will soar and Ireland will fail to meet its international obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

Opportunity Green’s letter calls on the Irish Government to include Ireland’s emissions from international aviation and shipping within the LTS and any future climate plans. It also pushes further, urging the Government to take concrete action towards emissions reductions in both the aviation and shipping sectors.

Aoife O’Leary, CEO of Opportunity Green said: “It is a misconception that aviation and shipping emissions fall outside the Paris Agreement, and failing to recognise this undermines Ireland’s domestic and international climate commitments. Ireland’s lack of ambition with regards to international transport emissions is particularly important right now because only next week, Ireland will be participating in negotiations for international maritime emissions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).”

The IMO discussions start on 26 June, when the international shipping regulator will revise its GHG Strategy, setting emissions reductions targets for the next 30 years. Alongside fellow EU Member States, Ireland has failed to support the science-based interim emissions reductions targets that would align international shipping with a 1.5°C pathway, instead proposing lower emissions reductions targets. It has also failed to support any specific proposal for an ambitious revenue-generating market-based measure as will be needed to ensure a just and equitable transition that leaves no State behind.

Aoife O’Leary concludes: “Ireland can and must use its voice, both in the LTS and at the IMO meetings, to push for increased ambition amongst the EU States, and indeed, internationally. This is a chance for Ireland to prove true its claim to be a ‘leader in addressing climate change’.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Aoife O’Leary, CEO of Opportunity Green, and Andrew Murphy, member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council are both available for interview.

The letter to the Irish Government can be read in full here.

Opportunity Green is an NGO working to unlock the opportunities from tackling climate change using law, economics, and policy. We do this by amplifying diverse voices, forging ambitious collaborations and using legal innovation to motivate decision makers and achieve climate justice, with particular emphasis on the aviation and shipping industries.

In 2018, global aviation accounted for at least 3.5% of global anthropogenic climate warming, while shipping emitted around 3% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gases. The climate impact of these sectors will grow significantly if action is not taken by States – with shipping potentially rising to up to 13% of global emissions by 2050 and, aviation rising to 22%. 

Ireland is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2015 Paris Agreement. The UNFCCC requires all Parties, with consideration for their respective responsibilities and capabilities, to formulate and implement programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change. This includes policies and programmes which address all sectors, including the international aviation and maritime sectors. Building on the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement sets a clear goal for Parties to reduce anthropogenic emissions in line with a maximum global average temperature increase of 2oC above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing ambitious efforts for only 1.5oC

Media contacts:

Hannah Jolliffe

Communications Manager, Opportunity Green
hannah@opportunitygreen.org

Aoife O’Leary
CEO, Opportunity Green
aoife@opportunitygreen.org