Dr Tadhg O'Mahony

14th April 2021|carbon emissions, climate action, Development, Ireland, Planning, Sustainability, transport

Ireland’s Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action is a pushing forward national public policy. I appeared at the Committee on the 23rd of February 2021, in the first of three hearings on transport. The purpose was to discuss how to meet the new target to reduce carbon emissions, of the order of -51% by 2030. I sought to clarify for the Committee that continuing to rely on electric vehicles and biofuels is not sufficient, nor is it consistent with pursuing our 2030 or 2050 targets. 

Achieving a low-carbon sustainable transport system in Ireland will require that we first implement comprehensive avoid and shift measures, take a long-term transformational systems approach and see 2030 as a stage on the journey to zero emissions in 2050. This is consistent with what is known and accepted internationally about reducing emissions from transport. The requirements for Ireland have been clearly presented in the EPA State of the Environment Report 2020, in the Environment and Transport chapter. 

Taking this approach allows us to achieve win-win outcomes, while increasing the likelihood of meeting our steep emissions reduction targets. We must move beyond relying on incremental technology change and economic instruments alone, if we are to begin to respond with the urgency the issue demands.

The video of the event is available at:

https://media.heanet.ie/page/231d30e6c7dd480cb6215aad8a0d3ea9