'Urgency is what's missing'. UCC study warns Ireland's climate progress is too slow

A new study, conducted by researchers at University College Cork, has warned that Ireland’s climate progress is too slow.

The data, collated by the Energy Policy and Modelling Group, revealed that a swift energy transition is needed to prevent climate and economic costs.

Researchers said that meeting ambitious carbon budgets would cost between €600m and €1.4bn annually from 2024 to 2050.

Immediate action required

The study, published in NPJ Climate Action, found that 2050 is too late for net-zero, with immediate action required to prevent costly and possibly unfeasible measures later, including large-scale carbon removal with complex trade-offs.

“Think of the carbon budget like a strict smoking limit for someone with serious health risks,” Lead author on the study, Dr Vahid Aryanpur, said. “Overshooting our carbon-limit targets early means extreme measures later. Steady reductions now are key to staying within safe limits.”

Also recommended is the electrification of transport, heating, and industry, and the expansion of renewable power generation and phasing out of fossil fuels.

Our energy demand can be managed through compact urban development, shifting to pubic and active transport modes, and supporting less energy-intensive economic activities.

Senior author Professor Hannah Daly said: “Ireland’s climate progress is too slow, and continued delays will make meeting EU and global commitments more costly and less feasible. Technologies for a clean-energy system are mature and affordable: Urgency is what’s missing.”

This study informed Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) and contributes evidence to deliberations on upcoming carbon budgets for the 2030s, through the CCAC’s carbon budgets working group, of which Prof Daly is a member.