Climate action and decarbonisation policy

What this means

• The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is legally responsible for climate policy and reducing carbon emissions in Ireland.[source]
• Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, the Department must set carbon budgets that cap how much greenhouse gas Ireland can emit over set periods.[source]
• The law requires sectoral emissions ceilings, meaning specific limits are placed on different parts of the economy such as transport, agriculture and energy.[source]
• The Department must prepare an annual climate action plan each year, setting out concrete steps the government will take to meet its emissions targets.[source]
• These legal duties matter for accountability because the public and the Oireachtas can check whether the government is meeting its own binding climate commitments.[source]

Direct impact (4)

• duty held by body
  Department of the Environment, Climate and CommunicationsBody
• implements mandate via commitment
  Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030Commitment
• implements mandate via commitment
  Achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050Commitment
• implements mandate via commitment
  Publish an annual climate action planCommitment

Indirect impact (9)

Two-hop relationships traced through the entity above. Useful for spotting downstream knock-on effects.

• duty held by body → owns statutory mandate2-hop via dept-environment
  Energy security and communications policyMandate
• duty held by body → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-environment
  Fast-track offshore wind developmentCommitment
• duty held by body → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-environment
  Enact legislation to accelerate district heatingCommitment
• duty held by body → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-environment
  Continue the national residential retrofit programmeCommitment
• duty held by body → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-environment
  Evaluate and act on the Basic Income for the Arts pilotCommitment
• duty held by body → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-environment
  Promote 60 minutes of daily physical activity for childrenCommitment
• duty held by body → holds role: Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport2-hop via dept-environment
  Charlie McConalogueOfficeholder
• duty held by body → holds role: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment2-hop via dept-environment
  Darragh O'BrienOfficeholder
• duty held by body → holds role: Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport2-hop via dept-environment
  Patrick O'DonovanOfficeholder