Environmental factors like pressure and humidity levels, are used to characterize climate change

The biggest threat to global health in the twenty-first century is climate change, but it also presents the best chance to rethink the social and environmental factors that influence health. Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change (2015).

This scenario is predicated on the idea that no new policies are introduced.

EU targets

Under the EU’s Effort Sharing Decision, member states must cut emissions of all greenhouse gases from sectors that are not included in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

Ireland's most emissions-intensive sectors

• Agriculture

• Transport

• Buildings

• Waste

• Non energy intensive industries

According to EPA projections, Ireland will produce 52–67 million tonnes CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) more than its carbon budget between 2021 and 2030.

Some main topics to why Ireland is not making changes include

Government drive

Agriculture

Food production

Transport

People don't have a choice due to living conditions

1. Green new deal funding

2. Biodiversity resources

3. Nature and climate department

4. Protect our water

5. Operation Transport Transformation

6. Circular Economy kick start

7. Sustainable farms and forests

8. Construction system change

9. Ensure access to justice

10. Brexit- proof biodiversity

University of Illinois Chicago. (2024). Building resilience against climate effects. Building Resilience Against Climate Effects | University of Illinois Chicago.

Harrisson, T. (2019, June 18). In-depth Q&A: Why Ireland is “nowhere near” meeting its climate-change goals. Carbon Brief. https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-why-ireland-is-nowhere-near-meeting-its-climate-change-goals/

Mark Dwortzan  |  MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. (n.d.). Reducing industrial carbon emissions. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://news.mit.edu/2021/reducing-emissions-decarbonizing-industry-0721

• The report concludes that changes in land use and climate are exacerbating wildfires and predicts a rise in extreme fires worldwide, even in places that were not previously affected.

• Extreme and uncontrollable wildfires can potentially destroy the ecosystem and the human population

• It can also cause major atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions

• Numerous environmental changes brought about by climate change have the potential to increase the frequency and severity of severe fire weather, including strong winds, dry lightning, high air temperatures, increasing drought, and low relative humidity. These changes will also cause fire seasons to be longer, drier, and hotter.

Ireland's dairy and meat industries are thriving, which has led to this growth. Agriculture occupies two thirds of Ireland's total land area.

According to the government's Food Harvest 2020 plan, milk production should increase by 50% and the value of the beef industry should increase by 20%.

This will result in larger herd numbers and will increase methane levels produced in the digestive system of the cows. There will also be an increase in nitrous oxide emissions from fertilisers and manure added to the soils

“For example, no electric buses have been bought for any of Ireland’s cities, with Ireland now falling far behind many Eastern European member states in this regard, including Poland and Romania, for example.” stated by James Nix director of freight and climate at the NGO group Transport and Environment.

People are limited to using gas as a source of heating as they live in rented homes and do not have a choice for heating systems.

Because a large amount of industrial emissions originate from the process itself, in addition to emissions related to energy use, these industries' emissions are extremely tough to reduce.

Implementing sufficient policies will help reduce emissions, however this will require large amounts of funding. This is government responsibility to push for this and is not being achieved.