Latest news with #ClimateActionPlan
RTÉ News
13 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
EPA report lets cat out of the bag on greenhouse gas emissions
Confirmation from the Environmental Protection Agency over the past few days that Ireland has gone backwards on its greenhouse gas emissions targets is hugely disappointing. People are blue in the face, listening to government ministers and policy makers constantly highlighting the important of climate action and their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Now however, the EPA has let the cat out of the bag. Despite all that talk, the gap to where Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions must be by 2030 is widening. And it is not widening by a little. It is widening by a lot. The legally binding target is for Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions to be 51% lower, in 2030, than they were in 2018. A year ago, EPA analysis suggested that if every realistic climate policy in the Climate Action Plan was delivered on time, ahead of 2030, it might be possible to cut emissions by 29%, at most. Now, after receiving updates from Government departments and agencies, the EPA says the maximum reduction achievable, is only 23%. Either number - a cut of 23% or 29% - represents a massive failure. There is the global warming potential, and the climate damage, caused by not cutting emissions fast enough. But there is also a huge cost to the taxpayer. Recent analysis from the Irish Fiscal Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council suggested it could cost the taxpayer up to €26 billion for carbon credits by 2030, to make up the shortfall envisaged last year. But now that the emissions gap is bigger, the bill to the taxpayer will be bigger too. This feels like some kind of disaster unfolding in slow motion. The focus must shift from policy aspiration to practical implementation The key reason is that despite all the talk from politicians there is not enough focus on implementing and delivering the climate-related policies the government has signed up to. That is what Laura Burke, the Director General of the EPA, said when she launched the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections Report last Wednesday. "This highlights the economy-wide effort needed to decarbonise our society and the focus must shift from policy aspiration to practical implementation." That was how she put it. A key paragraph on page 10 of the EPA report, goes right to the heart of why we are going backwards. Know first, that these latest emissions projections were done on the basis of the official "Climate Action Plan 2024", published at the end of 2023. On page 10 the EPA report explains that: "Climate Action Plan 2025 is not specifically referenced in this report as it had yet to be published during the preparation phase of the 2024-2055 projections. A review was undertaken and there are no significant additional measures in CAP 2025 therefore no major omissions in these projections." What this paragraph is saying is that, with so few years to go before the crucial 2030 deadline, an entire year has been allowed to pass without a single important climate initiative, or effort, having been added to the policy mix. Yet there is no time to waste. Notwithstanding the need to constantly come up with new policy initiatives, the number one thing should be to deliver, as quickly as possible, on the climate- related commitments already made. Delaying difficult but inevitable changes only makes them harder to implement. It will not make them go away. 'Sustainable transport' Climate Action Plan 2023 introduced a so-called "Avoid-Shift" policy on transport. The aim was to introduce behavioural change and sustainable transport measures to save 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Central to that was a commitment to increase the price of petrol and diesel out to 2030 to encourage people to choose other modes of transport. So far there is no sign of any willingness by Government to follow through on that. But if they are not going to do it, what are they going to do instead to deliver the promised emissions reduction? Last year the target was 945,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030. This year the EPA says the maximum possible is 640,750. Many observers doubt even that amount can be achieved - especially since tax incentives to encourage electric vehicle purchases have been reduced in recent years. What will the Government do to address that? There is also a commitment in the Climate Action Plan to use behavioural and sustainable transport measures to engineer a reduction in total vehicle kilometres travelled. We are still waiting for that, and very much more. Time is running out for climate action. We have one year less to go to an immovable deadline in 2030. The clear message from the EPA this week is that government inaction is the core of the problem and the potential bill for the public, which is already enormous, is rising by the day.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Downtown Salem will nix free street parking later this summer
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Later this summer, Oregon's capital is dialing back on free parking. As of July 10, street parking will no longer be free in Salem's downtown district. Officials plan to begin installing pay stations, which will charge drivers $1.50 per hour, next month. I-5 bridge replacement program unveils plan to minimize impact on historic sites The change is part of officials' efforts to boost revenue for the city and increase the number of available spaces — similar to r. 'Metered parking allows downtown Salem to generate revenue that can be used to provide important city services,' the City of Salem . 'It also helps keep parking available for visitors to downtown businesses. Paid parking reduces how long people can park in an on-street parking space, thus freeing up the space more frequently for new customers.' Officials additionally claimed the changes will benefit Salem's Climate Action Plan by reducing the traffic congestion that comes with searching for a parking spot. The current 3-hour free parking will be replaced with metered spots that allow drivers to pay for up to 12 hours at a time. The new pay stations will ask users for their license plate numbers, which enforcement officers will later use to confirm the allotted time hasn't expired. Drivers can also download the yet-to-come Beep Beep Salem app to pay online. The current free, on-street spaces are covered by local businesses that pay a Downtown Parking Tax. Despite the upcoming changes, the tax is expected to stay in place for at least a year, according to Interim City Manager Krishna Namburi. Suspect still at large after April downtown Portland assault 'We need to have about a year of crossover to fund operations,' Namburi told officials during Tuesday's Salem City Council meeting. 'When you put the parking meters into play, you're not going to be having a year's worth of operational revenue in July when they're deployed, which is what the parking tax provides.' She said officials could likely remove the parking tax at a later date. The downtown parking structures owned by the City of Salem will remain free to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Climate action progress could attract investment, experts say, amid looming hefty EU fines
The Government's delayed approach to complying with climate-related targets and agreements may threaten Ireland's position as an attractive place to do business, according to collaborators of a major report. Marie Donnelly, chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), along with budgetary watchdog Ifac's chief economist Eddie Casey cautioned, since the publication of their report in March, that a likely hefty EU fine for incompliance with agreements could impact foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities. 'There's good reason to say, given what we are seeing internationally happening and all this uncertainty that is threatening Ireland's competitiveness, that we're going to lean into these areas that are helping (FDI) and attracting multinationals to stay here,' said Mr Casey. The report, 'A Colossal Missed Opportunity — Ireland's climate action and the potential costs of missing targets', found the Government could be on the hook for fines between €8bn and €26bn if it fails to meet its agreed EU climate commitments outlined in legislation. 'The danger is that this is quite close to reality because the additional measures that they have said they will enact, they haven't followed through on yet,' said Mr Casey. If the Government implements the additional measures in its own Climate Action Plan by 2030, it could reduce the fine range to €3bn to €12bn. 'With every crisis, you have opportunities too,' he said. Mr Casey stressed the significance of investing in the renewable sector and meeting climate agreements to maintain relationships with multinationals, especially as trade tensions continue to simmer amid US president Donald Trump's tariff threats and his ambition to lure large firms back to the US. Eddie Casey, chief economist, Ifac. 'Thankfully, it looks like the Government is taking more urgency following the tariffs debacle to really get a grip on how they can deliver and accelerate it,' said Mr Casey. Ifac has long warned against the Government's overdependence on corporation tax for financial padding in annual budgets, however three quarters of the corporation tax haul last year was from US companies and around 40% was collected from just three companies. 'We are incredibly reliant on them and we don't want to lose that,' said Mr Casey. Multinationals have become increasingly interested in locations with a renewable energy supply and a reinforced energy grid as they come under mounting pressure to fuel their electricity-guzzling data centres in a more sustainable way. 'They've been really worried for a long time about Ireland's ability to actually deliver energy so they can, as a tech firm, have a larger data centre,' said Mr Casey. Ms Donnelly echoed Mr Casey's comments and said the EU's Green Deal and its clean competitiveness agenda 'are effectively the same thing'. 'Europe understands that we have to have energy both for our society and our economy,' she continued. 'It's clear that the energy we currently use is neither sustainable, it doesn't have supply security, it can blow the cost of living out of the water, it's largely drawn by not very politically stable parts of the world and it's very bad for our climate because it's full of emissions,' she said. These legally binding EU agreements that Ireland has entered require domestic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, an increasing share of renewable energy, and improved energy efficiency. A key piece of the legislation is the Effort Sharing Regulation, which Ireland and other EU countries agreed to adopt in 2018. It covers emissions from domestic transport, buildings, small industry, waste, and agriculture. If Ireland emits more than allowed, the state will have to purchase the gap from overperforming countries — those that reduce their emissions more than required. Other countries, including Spain and Portugal, have been overperforming in terms of their climate mandates because they have taken money from other countries that are underperforming. However, Ireland has around five times the cost of missing targets compared to a larger economy such as Germany which is underperforming. However, Mr Casey explained that Germany can afford to miss targets. Marie Donnelly, chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC). Ireland has shown Europe it is capable of economic miracles, including its recovery from the banking crisis in 2008 to boasting healthy public finances after years of volatility, including covid lockdowns, soaring inflation and interest rate hikes. However, Ireland has not been as skillful in performing miracles when it comes to its emissions targets. In 2022, Ireland had the second-highest emissions of greenhouse gases per capita in the EU at 11.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide, figures from the Central Statistics Office showed. Ireland's emissions were 56% higher than the EU average of 7.5 tonnes. Meanwhile, the most recent projections from environmental agency EPA showed Ireland can achieve a 25% reduction of emissions by 2030, which is considerably short of the 42% reduction target. In addition, Ireland fell below its renewable energy share target baseline share in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and could face costs from purchasing compliance for falling below its baseline share in 2021 and 2022 but as things stand, not for 2023, according to the climate report. This is because countries have one year to return above their baseline share. Ireland is expected to return above its baseline share in 2024. Ireland's slow movement towards climate progress may be driven by a lack of serious consequences to date. 'There is a view amongst some that this is never going to happen, that they wouldn't be fined,' said Ms Donnelly. She repeated the point that if Ireland does get fined, the bill will without doubt be at least an eye-watering €8bn. Mr Casey also said that 'if they're not going to do it, they're basically breaking the law. The State would have the resources to do that without having to hike taxes or cut spending on any ongoing supports,' he said. Mr Casey added that if this were to happen, it 'would be a colossal wasted opportunity because that is money that could be put towards loads of potential measures that would meet the targets'. If Ireland does not comply with the EU's mandate, the money that Ireland will be fined will transfer to other countries in Europe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bucking trends, Topsham approves a smaller budget for next year
May 29—Topsham residents approved all articles up for vote at the annual town meeting Wednesday night, including those outlining the municipal budget for the upcoming fiscal year and the new Climate Action Plan. Voters backed a municipal budget totaling $14.13 million during the meeting at the Mt. Ararat High School Forum. The budget reflects a 2% decrease in municipal spending from the current fiscal year, which was kept low by cutting paving projects and contributions to reserve funds. The municipal budget plus the county tax and Topsham's contribution to Maine School Administrative District 75 make up the total town budget. The SAD 75 budget, which totals $57.88 million with contributions from four towns, will go to referendum vote on June 10. Within the proposed municipal budget, police is the highest-spending department at $2.55 million, followed by EMS and fire, public works, and capital programs. The town plans on funding a community paramedic position in the fire department this year, a post that has existed for two years but was previously funded by a grant. The Climate Action Plan, developed by the town Energy Committee with input from residents, is an outline for town projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate change. "Any project that looks promising will be presented to the Select Board for the intention of creating better preparedness, a healthier environment as well as monetary savings," Energy Committee Vice Chairperson Nick Whatley said during Wednesday's meeting. The plan calls for Topsham to adopt state goals on climate change, including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. It also proposes several actions that town government can adopt to reach these goals, from investing in sustainable transportation and renewable energy to updating town properties with climate-friendly heat pumps, appliances and lighting. Copy the Story Link
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Government ‘delusional' on emissions targets
The government is 'delusional' if it believes Ireland won't face billions of euro in EU fines for missing its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. That's according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, following the latest publication today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has stated that total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agriculture sector 'will range from a 1% increase to a 16% decrease over the period of 2018 to 2030″. According to the EPA, these projections are based on the level of adoption of measures contained in the Climate Action Plans, AgClimatise and the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC). Social Democrats Deputy, Jennifer Whitmore, who is the party's spokesperson on climate, said: 'The latest analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency offers a bleak assessment of the government's efforts to meet our legally binding 51% emissions reduction target in five years' time. 'The report warns that even if every measure in the Climate Action Plan is fully implemented on time, the best we can hope for is a fall of 23% 'This is even lower than the 29% reduction projected by the EPA last year, showing that Ireland is going backwards when it comes to our climate responsibilities,' Whitmore added. 'Despite dire warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council that Ireland could face EU fines of up to €26 billion for missing our targets, the government continues to be in denial, with the Taoiseach recently dismissing these fears as 'highly speculative'.' The Wicklow TD has claimed that the current approach by the government will cost Ireland, not just economically, but also in terms of the severe risks posed by more extreme weather events caused by global warming. 'According to the EPA report, we are making insufficient progress in areas such as onshore wind, offshore wind, electric vehicles and district heating,' Whitmore continued. 'In transport and agriculture, emissions are projected to remain well above the sectoral ceilings for 2030. And despite the growth in renewable energy, this is negated by our continued reliance on gas during times of peak demand.' Deputy Whitmore has also raised concerns abut 'logjams' in the planning system which she said could result in wind power companies pulling out of Ireland. 'Today's report represents a major setback for our climate ambitions. How many more wake-up calls does this government need before it takes this issue seriously?' Deputy Whitmore concluded.
