Government signs off on Climate Action Plan with target to reduce carbon emissions by 51pc by 2030

The Government has signed off on its much anticipated Climate Action Plan.

A Cabinet Committee on Climate Action agreed on the long promised plan which aims to reduce the country’s carbon emissions by 51pc by 2030.

It comes as world leaders gather in Glasgow for the COP26 to discuss the global response to climate change.

Central to the Government’s plan, which will be published tomorrow and contains almost 200 actions, are a list of carbon emission reductions with key targets for each sector.

The biggest reduction in emissions will be sought from the energy sector where carbon will have to be reduced by between 62pc and 81pc over the coming decade. This will be done through a focus on renewable energies.

The business sector, through the Department of Enterprise, will be required to reduce emissions by between 29pc and 41pc under the new plan.

The Department of Housing will be required to reduce emissions by between 44pc and 56pc. A major retrofitting scheme which aims to make 500,000 homes more energy efficient by 2030 will be central to achieving this aim. This will include retrofitting 36,500 social housing units.

The Department of Housing will also seek to reduce emissions by introducing new building regulations aimed at forcing builders to construct more energy efficient homes.

The department will also introduce new policy on wind energy.

Meanwhile, the agriculture sector will be asked to reduce emissions by between 22pc and 30pc over the next decade.

Fianna Fáil sees the targets for agriculture as a major win when compared against other sectors.

The Climate Action Plan also outlines a series of measures aimed at reducing agricultural emissions. This includes finishing cows earlier and also calving sooner in the life cycle of cattle. Sources suggested cows could be finished at 24 rather than 27 months.

The Department of Transport will be responsible for reducing emissions by between 42pc and 51pc. A series of measures including increased funding for cycle and walk ways along with more funding for public transport will be introduced to achieve this aim. There will also be a major push to electrify public transport.

Climate Minister Eamon Ryan will launch the plan tomorrow.