In a new package of measures introduced on foot of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the European Commission is ordering Ireland to slash carbon emissions by 2030 or face financial consequences.

By and large, the richer EU countries must shoulder the heaviest cuts to carbon emissions, and the eleven countries with higher targets include the UK — despite Brexit — Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands with cuts ranging from 33% (Italy) to 40% (Luxembourg). The cuts target for Ireland is 30% over 2005 emission levels.

The Effort Sharing Regulation covers contributions from sectors such as transport and agriculture, which are not covered by the EU’s Emissions Trading System, and  the members must now approve the plans by the Commission.

The EU set the 2030 target as its overall pledge in the UN’s climate agreement, reached in Paris last December. It is unclear how Britain will react following its  23 June referendum vote to leave the EU, but the nation was included in the regulation as it is still a member and the exit process could take years.

Flexibility

Bulgaria, the poorest state in the bloc, was given an emissions reductions target of 0%, while Romania, Latvia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania are all set below 10%. But the system allows for flexibility. Member states can reduce emissions jointly across a range of sectors and over time.

In Association with

The proposal aims to set binding objectives for member states from 2021 until 2030. The proposals – which also allow for member states to buy and sell emissions allocations – will be debated by the member states and the European Parliament.

Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete (pictured) said the targets were  “ambitious” but that he was “convinced we can achieve through the collective efforts of all member states.”

Cañete added: “The national binding targets we are proposing are fair, flexible and realistic. They set the right incentives to unleash investments in sectors like transport, agriculture, buildings and waste management.”

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the proposals fall short of the ambitions Brussels set at the Paris summit. Imke Luebbeke of the WWF said: “Not only is the Commission astoundingly out-of-synch with international climate commitments, but it has also included ‘loopholes’ in this proposal which will allow countries to cheat their way out of real climate action.”

The new regulation aims to reduce emissions from sectors such as transport, buildings and farming, which are believed to be contributors to global warming. It applies to those sectors not covered by the EU's Emissions Trading System. The regulation will break down an EU-wide target of a 30% greenhouse gas reduction compared to 2005 levels by 2030 for the 28 member states, which must agree an identical text with MEPs before it can become law.

The Commission says the cuts are necessary if the EU is to hit its 2030 target of a 40% reduction, compared to 1990 levels, in greenhouse gas emissions.

Naughten Waffle

Responding to the Commission’s proposal, Denis Naughten, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, was non-commital. “There has been extensive engagement with the Commission on this issue to date," said Naughten.

"The Commission's non-ETS Effort Sharing Decision Proposal and the accompanying detailed Impact Assessment are complex and will require careful study and analysis to determine the exact ask of Ireland towards 2030 carbon emission reductions. The outcome of the analysis will form the basis for further constructive engagement with the Commission going forward. Ireland is committed to making a fair, achievable and affordable contribution to overall ambition that caters for our specific national situation.”