How do we protect our native seabirds while growing offshore wind energy?
Analysis: Ireland needs to rapidly expand its renewable energy production, impacting iconic species such as our globally important seabird populations
Ireland’s ambitious targets of achieving a climate resilient, biodiversity rich and carbon neutral economy by 2050 are heavily reliant on their goal of increasing the proportion of renewable electricity production to 80% by 2030. With an island so rich in wind resources from the Atlantic, the opportunity to harness this energy can play an integral role in achieving renewable energy and climate goals. On our current trajectory we are far from reaching our targets, now sitting 43rd out of 63 countries for our efforts in climate protection, as announced at COP28.
This means that Ireland is currently not adequately implementing climate protection policies compared to the commitments made by other countries identified as the primary producers of global greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland therefore needs to rapidly expand its renewable energy production. But what will this mean for our landscapes and iconic species such as our globally important seabird populations?
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