Latest news with #MarieDonnelly
Agriland
5 days ago
- Politics
- Agriland
Watch: ‘It's in Europe's interest to move off fossil fuels'
The Climate Change Advisory Council's chairperson, Marie Donnelly has said that Europe should 'move off fossil fuels' to address issues with climate change. Donnelly was a panelist at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's (DAFM) Agriculture and Climate Change conference in Dublin Castle today (June 5). Climate Change Advisory Council's chairperson, Marie Donnelly She told Agriland that Ireland's climate legislation is in place, but that it is 'not fast enough, and not deep enough'. Donnelly said: 'At a European level, one of the political questions that's center stage right now is whether the commission will endorse the recommendations of the European Scientific Body for the 2040 Carbon Budget, which is a 90% reduction in emissions. 'It's quite a political discussion, members of the EU Parliament are discussing it. The commission is debating it, and we expect something in September.' The Climate Change Advisory chair believes that there is a 'greater awareness' for farming as an industry, and as a way of life, and outlined the role that the EU will play in counteracting climate change. 'It's very important that Europe, as part of it's general approach, thinks about Europe itself, it's own self sufficiency, and it's own efficiency,' Donnelly said. 'When we look at climate change in Europe, it's very pertinent. Europe is the fast warming continent in the world.' 'What is causing global warming faster than anything else? Fossil fuels. Europe has no fossil fuels. We import all of our fossil fuels. Strategically, from a competitiveness point of view, and a security point of view, it's in Europe's interest to move off fossil fuels, as it happens it works for the climate,' Donnelly added. Marie Donnelly Donnelly believes that change is necessary throughout society in order to combat climate change, and that farmers will be impacted. She said: 'To understand what change we need to make, and to support people in making that change, that includes farmers. It might be financial support, new research, new ways of doing things that allow farmers to be efficient and climate active at the same time. 'We have to think of ways to get information out to farmers. Yes it might be financial, but it's more than that, communication, education, dialogue, mutual support, farm leaders, to get message out to adopt new mechanism. 'Farmers have been adopting new methods always. This is not new for farming. If you look at farming 20 years ago, it's not the same as today. It's the nature of farming to modernise as it goes forward,' Donnelly added.
Irish Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Regulator criticised over energy firms' failure to help consumers save money via smart meters
The Government and the energy regulator need to do more to compel domestic energy providers to make better use of smart meters to allow consumers to save money and reduce emissions, the Climate Change Advisory Council has said. Almost two million smart meters have been installed in Irish homes but the council noted that it can be hard for consumers and businesses to access the data the meters can produce. That lack of information can, it warned, make it harder for people to decide on what plan they should be on to get the best value for money for their home. There is legislation in place aimed at ensuring electricity suppliers offer customers price plans that allow them to save money, change consumption patterns and reduce emissions. READ MORE However, the council said on Wednesday it was disappointing that the deadline for delivering new tariffs had been delayed by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The council also reiterated its call for the accelerated roll-out of renewable energy to enable the State to transition away from its reliance on fossil fuels. 'Despite the installation of almost two million smart meters, people, households and businesses cannot easily access data on the consumption of their electricity to avail of better tariffs,' said the chairwoman of the council, Marie Donnelly. Marie Donnelly, chairwoman of the Climate Change Advisory Council. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill 'Electricity suppliers must provide new tariffs, as set out in legislation, which is vital to both altering consumption patterns and shifting electricity usage away from peak times, and saving people, households and businesses money. 'It is for these reasons that we are calling on the CRU to reconsider its decision to extend the deadline for electricity suppliers to offer these new tariffs.' Ms Donnelly said the continued reliance on harmful imported fossil fuels for electricity generation means the State's electricity is more carbon-intensive than that of many other EU members. The rate of renewable electricity capacity development has been far below what is required to meet emissions reduction targets, and the council has said significant action is needed to expedite the deployment of renewables at pace.
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Council calls for changes in customer access to smart meter data
The Climate Change Advisory Council is calling on the Government to make the legal and regulatory changes needed so customers can easily access their smart meter data to help lower electricity bills and reduce peak electricity demand. This information, and an entitlement to access dynamic electricity pricing, was legislated for in 2022 but has now been delayed until June next year. Despite the installation of almost two million smart meters, people, households and businesses still cannot easily access data on the consumption of their electricity to avail of better tariffs. Launching its Annual Review of the Electricity Sector, the Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council Marie Donnelly said the delay is disappointing. Ms Donnelly said electricity suppliers must provide new tariffs, as set out in legislation, which is vital to both altering consumption patterns and shifting electricity usage away from peak times and saving people, households and businesses money. "We are calling on the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to reconsider its decision to extend the deadline for electricity suppliers to offer these new tariffs," she added. The review said also that renewable energy is still not being rolled out fast enough, and insufficient investment in the electricity grid means that some of the renewable energy currently generated cannot be used. The review highlights a practice known as "dispatch-down", where transmission of renewable energy must be deliberately reduced because of grid limitations. In 2024, more than 10% of available total wind energy, and more than 5% of power from solar farms that were available to be transmitted was "dispatched-down" because the national electricity grid was not able to handle the load. As a result, 1,300 gigawatt hours of free renewable energy had to be wasted last year. The Council says significant investment and political support at national, regional and local level is required for upgrading the electricity grid, especially for essential projects necessary to strengthen it and its capacity to carry renewable electricity. It is also calling for the accelerated roll out of renewable energy to enable Ireland to transition away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The review notes that while 1.6 gigawatts of onshore wind and solar projects received planning permissions last year, less than a fifth of that amount, 0.5 gigawatts, was connected via utility scale renewable electricity installations. This was significantly below the average increase in capacity needed to reach the 2030 targets for renewable electricity. One fifth of Ireland's existing onshore wind fleet of turbines will reach the end of its planning, or need to be decommissioned by 2030. The Council is concerned that planning issues and bureaucracy could cause significant delays in the renewal, replacement, and modernisation of those wind farms, which are essential to produce renewable electricity. Because of this, it is calling for planners at local and national levels to adopt a constructive approach to repowering onshore wind projects. It says this should include the appropriate use of the Habitats Directive derogation for imperative reasons of overriding public interest, while ensuring biodiversity benefits and risk mitigation. Today's report says sufficient resourcing and prioritisation within planning authorities will be critical to ensure that statutory timelines are adhered to for the significant volume of renewable planning decisions that need to be made to meet national targets. The Council also wants industry to accelerate construction of the 2 gigawatts onshore wind projects that have already received planning permission.
Euronews
04-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Missing EU climate targets could leave Ireland facing a €26 billion bill
Ireland could face a 'staggering' bill of between €8 billion and €26 billion to other EU member states if it doesn't act now to reduce emissions. This stark warning about the cost of missing its goals comes via a joint report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) and Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC). It says the country's government needs to 'act now' or it could be in line to pay significant compliance costs further down the line. Plans to cut emissions that have yet to be enacted could reduce the potential costs by between €3 billion to €12 billion. Why does Ireland have to pay for missing emissions targets? The EU's Effort Sharing Regulation sets binding national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Member states have to meet climate targets for five key sectors: road transport, buildings, small industry, waste, and agriculture. Each goal is adjusted based on a country's GDP, with wealthier nations having stricter requirements. Countries that underperform will have to buy 'emissions allocations' – essentially carbon credits – from those that are overperforming in order to bridge the gap. But the price of these allocations depends on the extent to which other EU member states achieve or overachieve on their targets. A report from Transport & Environment (T&E) last year warned that, with so many countries set to miss their goals, the scarcity of allocations could lead to a bidding war in 2030. This makes the price of each credit challenging to predict, leading to the massive variation in the predicted cost. 'Ireland can take actions now to offset potential costs down the line,' explains Seamus Coffey, chair of the IFAC, adding that it can do so in a way that 'doesn't threaten the wider sustainability of public finances'. In the past four years, the report also notes that Ireland has missed out on around €500 million in revenue from carbon credits it is entitled to sell. Two other pieces of national legislation on land use and forestry and the share of energy from renewable sources could also pose smaller yet significant costs. How far is Ireland from meeting its emissions targets? The latest data from the country's Environmental Protection Agency projects that Ireland will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 29 per cent by 2030. That is a long way off of its agreed target to cut emissions by 51 per cent by 2030. While we have made some progress in reducing emissions, our pace of change is not enough to meet our national and EU climate targets. Marie Donnelly Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council It isn't alone, however, with just Luxembourg, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia overachieving on emissions cuts. Though many other EU member states are also on track to miss targets agreed under the Effort Sharing Regulation, Ireland is among the worst. The country had the highest emissions gap per capita of any EU state at 8.7 tonnes of CO2 per person. This leaves it as one of the least likely to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target under current climate policies. 'While we have made some progress in reducing emissions, our pace of change is not enough to meet our national and EU climate targets,' says Marie Donnelly, chair of the CCAC. Can Ireland cut its greenhouse gas emissions in time? If Ireland's government implements its 'more ambitious' Climate Action Plan by 2030, this course of action could reduce costs by between €3 billion and €12 billion. But, the report warns, this plan is not being delivered at the 'scale of the speed required' and urges officials to 'act now or risk substantial costs later'. Around a tenth of the country's planned capital spending to 2030 could be enough, it says. This would cover the cost of upgrading Ireland's electricity grid, reducing the cost of 700,000 new electric vehicles to less than €15,000, improving EV charging infrastructure, and supporting forestry initiatives and the rewetting of the country's wetlands. Not doing so would be a massive missed opportunity to cut emissions, the report's authors say. 'The government must take clear and decisive action now to transition to a climate neutral economy,' Donnelly explains. 'It is better to make the investments into Irish households, communities and businesses now, rather than paying significant compliance costs in the years ahead.' Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has defended the government's emissions progress to the Irish press, saying the country has made 'very significant progress' over the last four years, adding that emissions have come down in the last 12 months. While Martin admitted to not having read the report in its entirety, he pointed to a 'big wave' of upcoming spending on the electricity grid and an upcoming push for offshore wind. He also added that the government was 'determined' to continue progressing on climate.
