Despite final energy demand increasing in 2022, energy-related emissions were 1.7% lower than in 2021. This overall net reduction in energy-related emissions originates from the sum of a decrease in heat demand and electricity generation emissions, and an increase in transport emissions.

  • 1.7%

    Decrease in CO₂ emissions in 2022
  • 0.6 MtCO₂

    Decrease in CO₂ emissions in 2022
  • 6.3%

    Increase in CO₂ emissions from transport in 2022

Greenhouse gas emissions come from many different sources. The two most important from the point of view of human contribution to climate change are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Carbon dioxide mainly comes from the burning fossil fuels for energy. In Ireland methane mostly comes from agriculture livestock. Other sources of greenhouse gas emissions include industrial processes such as cement manufacture, fertiliser spreading in agriculture and refrigeration gases. CO2 from burning fossil fuels accounted for 56% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland during 2022, down from 65% in 2005.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland

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,Agriculture (excluding energy related),Energy related Non-ETS,Other non-ETS,ETS
2005,20632.37823,25707.62935,2802.042989,19843.41421
2006,20624.22035,25917.5924,2787.617698,19164.37156
2007,20006.51463,26359.14783,2276.95772,18665.37921
2008,19757.39869,27066.46028,2141.671401,18082.20994
2009,19455.66792,24958.00301,1917.825779,15730.2204
2010,19504.08496,24325.32846,1873.608339,16054.76696
2011,18884.09601,22257.093,1977.278603,14590.09533
2012,19776.22756,21467.95724,1860.855498,15460.43273
2013,20581.86797,21364.98737,2064.89096,14407.25949
2014,20130.23471,20790.58749,2319.220335,14325.24305
2015,20685.48518,21780.25362,2394.283665,15010.76306
2016,21221.16664,22523.14941,2470.228112,15784.1179
2017,21968.428,22115.67188,2378.768688,14870.92663
2018,22803.66199,23309.61714,2018.869559,13440.85495
2019,21862.66988,23062.45982,1978.010895,12122.21087
2020,22191.8167,21659.75039,1783.594232,11402.50877
2021,23007.53573,21820.83318,1789.741068,13079.58566
2022,22683.59356,21567.97926,1829.358541,12614.48645
Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Share of greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland in 2022

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Share of Irish greenhouse gas emissions (%),% in 2022
Agriculture,38.6
Energy related Non-ETS,36.7
Other non-ETS,3.1
ETS,21.5
Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Emissions from large companies (ETS)

Any company or body within the EU that emits a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions is included in the Emissions Trading System, commonly known as the ETS for short. This includes large industries, electricity generators, and the aviation industry. The ETS ensures that all these companies will collectively reduce their emissions by 43% by 2030 compared to 2005.

More on EU ETS

Emissions from homes, small businesses and farms (Non-ETS)

All greenhouse gas emissions that are not from companies in the ETS are called non-ETS emissions. Non-ETS emissions include greenhouse gas emissions from homes, cars, small businesses and agriculture. These are often collectively called the non-ETS sector.

Non-ETS emissions are important because each country in the EU has mandatory targets to reduce non-ETS emissions by 2030.

More on EU non-ETS emissions targets

Large share of fossil fuels and agriculture

One of the biggest source sof greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland is CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels by the non-ETS sector, for example in homes and cars. These made up 36.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland in 2022, and 46.8% of all non-ETS greenhouse gas emissions.

Ireland is unusual compared to other EU countries because greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture make up a much larger share of our emissions. In 2022 agriculture was responsible for 38.6% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and for 49.2% of all non-ETS greenhouse gas emissions.

Other greenhouse gas emissions in the non-ETS sector, for instance from refrigeration or from landfill gases, made up 3.1% of all greenhouse gas emissions, or 4% of non-ETS emissions in 2022.

Companies in the ETS were responsible for 21.5% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.

Ireland failed to meet 2020 emissions reduction target for non-ETS

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Non-ETS emissions target,Energy related,Agriculture,Total,Target (20% below 2005 by 2020),Target (30% below 2005 by 2030)
2005,0,0,0,-20,-30
2006,1,0,0,-20,-30
2007,3,-3,-1,-20,-30
2008,5,-4,0,-20,-30
2009,-3,-6,-6,-20,-30
2010,-5,-5,-7,-20,-30
2011,-13,-8,-12,-20,-30
2012,-16,-4,-12,-20,-30
2013,-17,0,-10,-20,-30
2014,-19,-2,-12,-20,-30
2015,-15,0,-9,-20,-30
2016,-12,3,-6,-20,-30
2017,-14,6,-5,-20,-30
2018,-9,11,-2,-20,-30
2019,-10,6,-5,-20,-30
2020,-16,8,-7,-20,-30
2021,-15,12,-5,,-30
2022,-16,10,-6,,-30
Source: EPA

Ireland's target for 2020 was for non-ETS emissions to be 20% lower than they were in 2005. Ireland failed to meet this target. In 2020 our non-ETS emissions were just 7% below 2005 levels. Energy related non- ETS emissions were only 16% below 2005 levels despite a large drop in transport emissions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Agriculture related non-ETS emissions were 8% higher than 2005 levels.

Ireland's new target for 2030 is for non-ETS emissions to be 30% lower than they were in 2005. In 2022 our non-ETS emissions were 6% below 2005 levels. Energy related non- ETS emissions were 16% below 2005 levels . Agriculture related non-ETS emissions were 10% higher than 2005 levels.

 

Energy-related CO2 emissions

SEAI compiles statistics on energy use, which allows us to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide released on burning fossil fuels. The following sections give more information on carbon dioxide emissions from energy use in Ireland.

The Environmental Protection Agency compiles data on all greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland, including agriculture and industrial processes, more information available on the EPA website.

Energy related CO₂ by fuel

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Energy related CO2 emissions by fuel (ktCO2),Oil,Gas,Coal,Peat,Wastes Non-Renewable
2005,27995,8330,7463,3766,0
2006,27386,9442,6465,3564,0
2007,27390,10149,6342,3483,0
2008,27202,10771,5591,4132,0
2009,23507,10257,4536,4134,29
2010,22113,11268,4890,3612,17
2011,20530,9905,4854,3423,37
2012,18923,9621,5892,3775,151
2013,19068,9061,5184,3606,320
2014,18954,8860,4959,3752,312
2015,20208,8981,5818,3630,334
2016,21113,9940,5757,3527,321
2017,20857,10071,4553,3343,562
2018,21787,10466,3128,3191,798
2019,21878,10725,1544,2934,832
2020,18327,10735,1781,1965,781
2021,19380,10344,3616,1246,782
2022,21090,10606,2887,1082,810
Source: SEAI

Share of energy related CO₂ by fuel in 2022

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Share of energy related CO2 emissions by fuel (%),2022
Oil,57.8
Gas,29.1
Coal,7.9
Peat,3
Wastes Non-Renewable,2.2
Source: SEAI

Some fuels emit more CO2 per unit of energy than others. For instance, coal and peat emit high levels of CO2 per unit of energy used, but natural gas emits less. All renewable energy sources are considered zero carbon. Therefore, changes in the mix of fuels used over time can increase or reduce emissions.

58% of all energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022 were from burning oil products such as petrol and kerosene. Oil is such a large share because transport makes up a very large share of energy use in Ireland and virtually all energy used for transport is from oil. More Irish homes also use oil for heating than any other fuel, which is unusual compared to other EU countries.

Coal and peat were responsible for 11% of all energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022, mostly from electricity generation and in homes.

Energy-related CO₂ by sector

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Energy related CO2 emissions by sector (ktCO2),Electricity Generation,Industry,Transport,Residential,Commercial/Public Services,Agricultural/Fisheries,Other
2005,15324.89509,5202.269183,15261.26215,8166.409855,1728.838408,1005.227642,865.66622
2006,14944.74138,4787.379534,16325.11336,8034.666276,1703.826439,954.2801095,105.566838
2007,14508.4268,4765.563694,17113.39416,7870.27904,1658.771033,903.9126991,543.1776566
2008,14507.36433,4582.491584,16195.99104,8660.247515,1708.708469,951.3209763,1089.860998
2009,13132.91818,3551.875433,14388.14405,8485.862301,1371.104767,815.8262322,717.6324194
2010,13408.7778,3535.302814,13547.34308,8750.392534,1487.042695,756.3213427,414.6126457
2011,12032.48483,3158.2726,13016.36173,7528.347175,1352.981143,714.8500558,945.5620605
2012,12933.53291,3173.983402,12316.47976,7046.061825,1412.861528,690.7966401,788.4622805
2013,11575.37693,3380.963322,12793.76436,6842.491881,1495.977176,616.0229835,534.537052
2014,11394.24718,3614.825947,13286.20608,6059.779873,1393.884391,556.3333441,531.6693012
2015,12002.16404,3595.503125,14062.39451,6489.063609,1532.970772,529.7860491,757.8517514
2016,12710.52553,3713.535037,14646.38316,6770.289306,1439.824736,547.8003796,830.1233626
2017,11933.2437,3841.643391,14937.98106,6304.747799,1379.535405,576.4438073,412.3789316
2018,10635.6133,4064.649005,15348.31279,6785.759664,1494.193575,622.0898154,418.7471454
2019,9425.925667,3985.598898,15376.91188,6529.139695,1491.304672,629.4993389,473.7138204
2020,8797.471411,4043.658437,11323.74352,7143.718508,1284.11872,628.5674826,367.3227353
2021,10274.90738,4023.103481,12134.6057,6705.753878,1393.670449,626.9646121,209.0329081
2022,10070.55768,3743.986675,14486.9392,5651.361631,1374.08946,844.2553716,304.2268786
Source: SEAI

Share of energy related CO₂ by sector in 2022

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Share of energy related CO2 emissions by sector (%),2022
Electricity Generation,28
Industry,10
Transport,40
Residential,15
Commercial/Public Services,4
Agricultural/Fisheries,2
Other,1
Source: SEAI

High emissions from transport

Transport is by far the largest source of energy-related CO2 emissions in Ireland. Before the COVID-19 pandemic it was responsible for over 40% of energy related CO2 emissions in 2019. During 2020, transport was the sector whose energy use was most impacted by the public health restrictions taken to combat COVID-19, and transport energy use fell by 26%. By the middle of 2021 transport activity and energy use had mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels. Transport accounted for 40% of energy related CO2 emissions in 2022.

Electricity generation and households are the next biggest sources of energy-related CO2 emissions. Electricity generation was responsible for 28% of energy related CO2 emissions in 2022 and fuel use in homes was responsible for 15%.

Ireland is unusual in that households emits more CO2 than industry. This is because Ireland does not have as much heavy industry, such as steel or fertiliser manufacture, compared to other countries. Also we use larger amounts of carbon intensive fuels such as coal, peat and oil in our homes, compared to other EU countries.

Non-ETS Energy-related CO₂ by sector

Share of non-ETS energy-related CO₂ emissions by sector in 2022

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Share of energy-related non-ETS CO2 emissions by sector (%),2022
Transport,56.9
Residential,28
Industry,4.4
Services,6.5
Agriculture,4.2
Source: SEAI

Tackling transport emissions crucial for Ireland

To tackle climate change, EU countries have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the non-ETS sector in each country.

When looking at the non-ETS sector we exclude greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and large companies, as these are counted under the Emissions Trading System. About half of non-ETS emissions are from agriculture and the other half are energy related.

Looking at the energy-related Non-ETS CO2 emissions, these are dominated by transport, which was responsible for 57% in 2022. The next biggest share was residential at 28%. Because most industry is under the ETS, industry made up just 4% of energy-related non-ETS CO2 emissions.

For Ireland to reduce our non-ETS emissions and meet our targets for 2030, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from transport and homes, as well as agriculture.

Energy-related CO₂ by mode

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ktCO2,Electricity,Heat ,Transport
2005,15324.89509,16968.41131,15261.26215
2006,14944.74138,15585.7192,16325.11336
2007,14508.4268,15741.70412,17113.39416
2008,14507.36433,16992.62954,16195.99104
2009,13132.91818,14942.30115,14388.14405
2010,13408.7778,14943.67203,13547.34308
2011,12032.48483,13700.01303,13016.36173
2012,12933.53291,13112.16568,12316.47976
2013,11575.37693,12869.99241,12793.76436
2014,11394.24718,12156.49286,13286.20608
2015,12002.16404,12905.17531,14062.39451
2016,12710.52553,13301.57282,14646.38316
2017,11933.2437,12514.74933,14937.98106
2018,10635.6133,13385.4392,15348.31279
2019,9425.925667,13109.25642,15376.91188
2020,8797.471411,13467.38588,11323.74352
2021,10274.90738,12958.52533,12134.6057
2022,10070.55768,11917.92002,14486.9392
Source: SEAI

Share of energy related CO₂ by mode

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Share of Energy related CO2 by mode (%),2022
Electricity,27.6
Heat ,32.7
Transport,39.7
Source: SEAI

We can also look at energy-related CO2 emissions split into the three main modes of energy: electricity, heat and transport. In 2022, transport had the largest share of energy-related CO2 emissions at 39.7%.

Heat accounted for 32.7% of energy-related CO2 emissions, with electricity responsible for the remaining 27.6%.

Economic activity, energy use and CO₂ emissions

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"Energy use, energy related CO2 emissions and economic activity (index relative to 2005)",Final energy,Energy related CO2,Economy (MDD)
2005,100,100,100
2006,102.6822175,98.53012101,106.1797454
2007,104.1658566,99.59826473,110.83468
2008,104.6255413,100.297377,107.2523218
2009,94.99985107,89.29397253,95.27817733
2010,94.2729961,88.10886984,91.2323383
2011,87.92935242,81.48293796,89.85136647
2012,85.09731458,80.66980632,89.92890925
2013,86.53334956,78.30821483,91.44543297
2014,86.2522976,77.46247571,97.54822747
2015,90.49636655,81.94740284,103.1899088
2016,93.58771612,85.49858142,108.2213107
2017,94.31188024,82.82269253,112.3139121
2018,98.65961426,82.78776677,115.3386725
2019,98.61626673,79.72334756,118.4457112
2020,89.23729259,70.6317013,112.9247835
2021,91.33409067,74.37358697,122.1659889
2022,95.6668308,76.70223493,136.0644967
Source: SEAI

Energy use is usually linked to economic activity. A growing economy leads to more goods being produced, purchased, transported, and more disposable income for people spend on travel or on heating their homes.

GDP is the most commonly used indicator for economic growth but in Ireland GDP can be disproportionately affected by the accounting of large multinationals. An alternative measure of economic activity is Modified Domestic Demand (MDD), which has been developed by the Central Statistics Office. We use MDD to measure economic growth, as it gives a better reflection of activity in the economy that drives energy use.

Ireland’s economy grew rapidly from the early 1990s up until the global financial crisis in 2007. Ireland’s economy then contracted sharply between 2007 and 2010, and continued to shrink until 2012. From 2012 it returned to strong growth.

In Ireland, transport is the sector whose energy use is most sensitive to economic growth. Transport experienced the largest reduction in energy use during the recession and the largest growth since 2012. The sector that has contributed most to the increase in transport growth since 2012 has been aviation.

In other sectors of the Irish economy energy use is not as closely tied to the economy. Ireland’s economy is more based on the services sector than on manufacturing. Unlike most manufacturing, the services sector has lower energy use per unit of value added, and can significantly increase the value of its output without leading to a large increase in energy use.

In 2022 economic growth, energy use and energy related CO2 emissions all grew, after falling in 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Energy-related CO₂ emissions report

Our reports on energy-related CO₂ emissions in Ireland provide more information and analysis. Check out our statistics Key Publications page (link) for the latest reports and other statistics reports.