Q&A: What would scaled-up climate actions mean for your carbon-intensive lifestyle?

Without immediate action Ireland has no hope of meeting 2030 carbon reduction targets

MaREI Director,  Prof Brian Ó Gallachóir spoke with Kevin O’Sullivan of the Irish Times, to discuss where we should start on trying to meet these targets 

Prof Ó Gallachóir states that “The 2019 climate action plan was hugely challenging, and had three main planks” that “Its main thrust was more renewable electricity; a huge retrofitting initiative and rapid electrification across the economy.

But what’s needed now is “more of the above”, augmented by “new things”, he says, “and finally getting to grips on agriculture”. Among new actions, he suggests “reducing energy consumption – embracing such basic things as energy efficiency and driver training on the benefits of less speed on motorways – and much more deployment of renewable fuels, which often receives little attention”

“Sweden, he adds, has deployed renewable diesel to cut emissions, especially in hard-to-decarbonise areas of transport. We may have 1 million EVs on Irish roads by 2030 but still have 1.2 million other vehicles, so liquid biofuels will be especially important in freight.”

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