Measuring Ireland's Progress 2022

By country: Greenhouse gas emissions

• The European Union's Climate Target Plan 2030 proposes to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to their 1990 level.
• In 2021, Irish greenhouse gas emissions were 111.6% of their 1990 level, i.e. 11.6% higher (see Table 3.1). Ireland was one of only three EU countries where emissions were higher than in 1990 - the other two were Spain (+0.4%) and Cyprus (+54.7%).
• Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU27 in 2021 were 71.3% of their 1990 level (i.e. 28.7% lower). Estonia had the biggest drop in emissions, to 31.3% of their 1990 level. Cyprus had the biggest increase to 154.7% of its 1990 level (+54.7%).
• Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions per capita were 12.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita in 2021, which was the second highest in the EU27 after Luxembourg at 14.7 tonnes. The EU27 average was 7.8 tonnes per capita and the lowest was Malta at 4.1 tonnes.

Ireland: Greenhouse gas emissions

• The three main components of greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). The other gases that contribute to emissions are hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). These latter four gases accounted for between 1.2% and 2.0% of total GHG emissions in Ireland between 2011 and 2021.
• Total greenhouse gas emissions increased from 58.9 million tonnes in 2011 to 62.1m tonnes in 2021. During that time they fluctuated, reaching a peak of 64.0m tonnes in 2016. They fell to 59.1m in 2020, but then grew by 5.2% to 62.1m tonnes in 2021.
• In total there was a 5.5% increase in greenhouse gas emissions between 2011 and 2021. In the same time period, there was a 1.3% decrease in CO2 emissions, an 18.7% increase in N2O emissions, and a 21.8% increase in methane emissions.
• Carbon dioxide emissions decreased from 38.1m to 37.5 million tonnes between 2011 and 2021, though reaching a peak of 40.4m tonnes in 2016.

Ireland: Air pollutant emissions

• Of the air pollutants included in Table 3.3 below, four decreased between 2011 and 2021: sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) Two increased: ammonia and particulate matter (PM₁₀).
• Levels of particulate matter (PM₁₀₎ increased by 3.7% from 30,000 tonnes in 2011 to 31,000 tonnes in 2021 and the main source of these in 2021 was industry. Levels of ammonia (NH₃) increased by 12.1% in the same period.
• Sulphur oxide (SO_x) emissions decreased by 52.2%, from 25,000 tonnes in 2011 to 12,000 tonnes in 2021, while carbon monoxide (CO) emissions decreased by 37.7% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 7.6%.
• Levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) decreased by 10.7% between 2011 and 2021. The primary source of PM_2.5 particles was household activities.
• Levels of all air pollutants except PM_2.5 increased between 2020 and 2021.

Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas

• The average annual measure of particulate matter (PM₁₀) in Dublin fluctuated between 13 and 14 µg/m³ between 2012 and 2018, before increasing to 15 µg/m³ in 2019. In 2020 it fell to 13 µg/m³ and to 12 µg/m³ in 2021 before rising again to 14 µg/m³ in 2022 (see Table 3.4).
• The number of days the EU daily limit of PM₁₀ was exceeded in Dublin was 1 in 2022. The highest number of days it was exceeded between 2012 and 2022 was 9 in 2019 and the lowest was 0 in 2012.
• In Cork, the average level of PM₁₀  was 16 µg/m³ in 2022 and during the 10-year-period from 2012 to 2022, it ranged from a high of 18 µg/m³ in 2016 to a low of 15 µg/m³ in 2020. The number of days the daily limit of PM₁₀ was exceeded was 2 days in 2022
• Between 2012 and 2022, the average level of PM₁₀ in towns with a population greater than 15,000 persons was in the range of 16 to 21 µg/m³. The number of days the daily limit of PM₁₀ was exceeded ranged from a low of 4 in 2018 to a high of 21 in 2022.
• The EU sets a limit of 50µg/m³ of PM₁₀ in a 24-hour period. The EU also set a limit that a country may not exceed this limit in any locality for more than 35 days of the year. Ireland has not exceeded the 35-day limit at any monitoring station to date.

Ireland: Annual average fine particulate matter

• The annual average fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) level in Dublin ranged from a high of 11 µg/m³ in 2012 and 2013 to a low of 8 µg/m³ in 2020 and 2022 (see Table 3.5).
• During the same period in Cork, the lowest annual average level of fine particulate matter was 5 µg/m³ in 2022 and the highest was 11 µg/m³ in 2013.
•  In towns greater than 15,000 persons, the annual average level of fine particulate matter was 16 µg/m³ in 2022, and the lowest annual value was 10 µg/m³ in 2018
• In rural areas between 2012 and 2022, the annual average level of fine particulate matter was in a range of 9 to 16 µg/m³. In 2022 it was 11 µg/m³.
• There were no regions where PM_2.5 levels exceeded the EU annual mean limit of 25 µg/m³

By country: Energy productivity

• Energy productivity measures the amount of output that is produced per unit of gross inland energy consumption and provides an indicator of the energy consumption in a country.
• Ireland's energy productivity increased from €18.6 per kilogram of oil equivalent (KGOE) in 2018 to €26.8 per KGOE in 2022. This was the highest energy productivity in the EU27 in 2022 (see Table 3.6).
• In the EU27, Ireland had the highest energy productivity each year since 2018.
• In 2022, the EU27 average energy productivity was €8.8 per KGOE, with the lowest energy productivity in Bulgaria, at €2.5 per KGOE.

Ireland: Municipal waste generated, recovered, and landfilled

• The amount of municipal waste in Ireland rose from 2.8 million tonnes in 2011 to 3.2 million tonnes in 2021, an increase of 12.3% (see Table 3.7).
• In the same period, there was a 62.5% decrease in the quantity of waste landfilled and a 118.3% increase in the quantity of waste recovered (recycled, composted or incinerated for energy recovery).
• The quantity of municipal waste generated per person decreased from 616kg in 2011 to 562kg in 2014, before increasing again to 644kg per person in 2020.
• Waste recovered as a proportion of total waste generated rose from 42.6% in 2011 to 84.0% in 2018. It then decreased to 82.8% by 2021.

By country: Municipal waste generated and treated

• Ireland had the fifth highest quantity of municipal waste generated per capita in the EU27 in 2020 at 644kg per capita. This compared to an EU27 average of 521kg waste generated per capita, while Austria had the highest (834kg), and Romania had the lowest (290kg) (see Table 3.8).
• In 2020, 16.1% of municipal waste was sent to landfill in Ireland, below the EU27 average rate of 22.8%.
• Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Germany and Denmark all had very low percentages of waste landfilled (less than 1.0%), and Switzerland sent no waste to landfill in 2020. These countries have very high rates of recycling and incineration. In contrast, more than 70% of waste in Malta and Romania went to landfill.
• In Ireland 29.5% of waste was recycled in 2020, just below the EU27 average of 29.6%. Another 10.9% of waste was composted, below the EU27 average of 18.6%.
• Ireland incinerated 42.1% of its waste 2020, the seventh highest rate in the EU27. Sweden and Finland had the highest incineration rates at 60.1% and 57.3% respectively.

By country: Passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants

• In Ireland, the number of passenger cars per 1,000 people increased from 445 in 2018 to 457 in 2022 (see Table 3.9). The highest value in the period was 458 in 2020.
• Ireland had the fifth lowest ratio of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU27 in 2022.
• The average number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU27 was 560 in 2022. Latvia had the lowest ratio at 414 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, while Italy had the highest, at 684.
• All but three countries in the EU27, Malta, Belgium and Sweden, saw an overall increase in the number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants between 2018 and 2022. The average increase in the EU27 was 3.9%.

By country: Modal split of inland freight transport

• Almost all (99.4%) inland freight transport in Ireland went by road in 2021, well above the EU27 average of 77.3%. No freight was transported by inland waterways in Ireland and 0.6% was transported by railway (see Table 3.10).
• Ireland had the highest percentage of freight travelling by road of those EU27 countries that had alternative transport options available. Malta and Cyprus have no rail or inland waterway transport, thus all inland freight travelled by road in these two countries.
• Lithuania had the lowest percentage of freight transport travelling by road at 37.5% in 2021. Latvia was the only other country which had more freight travelling by rail than by road, with 53.4% transported by railway, and 46.6% by road. 
• The Netherlands had the most freight travelling by inland waterways in 2021, at 41.9%. This was significantly greater than the EU27 average of 5.6%.

Ireland: Number of vehicles licensed for the first time by type

• In Ireland, the total number of vehicles licensed for the first time in 2023 was 159,778 (see Table 3.11).
• In 2023, diesel was the most common fuel type of vehicles licensed for the first time at 37.9% of the total (or 60,525 vehicles), though its share was down from 77.2% of the total in 2013. Petrol was the second most popular fuel type in 2023 at 43,287 or 27.1% of the total, up from 22.1% of the total in 2013.
• Electric-only vehicles were the third most popular fuel type for newly licensed vehicles in 2023 at 23,762 or 14.9% of the total, followed by petrol/electric hybrids at 19,382 or 12.1% of the total.
• The number of newly licensed electric-only vehicles in 2023 increased by 46.1% compared to 2022, while the number of plug-in electric hybrids licensed rose by 33.5% to 10,348.

Ireland: Average and Median Domestic Metered Public Water Consumption

• Average (mean) monthly domestic metered public water consumption was 357 litres per meter per day in 2022, down 4.8% on 2021 when it was 375 litres (see Table 3.12).
• Average domestic consumption fell by 3.0% between 2016 and 2022. During that period average consumption peaked in 2020 at 378 litres.
• The median consumption of water per meter per day was 261 litres in 2022, down by 6.8% from 2021, but up 6.1% since 2016 when it was 246 litres.
• Median consumption reflects typical water use better than the average figure as it is less affected by high consumption due to leaks.

Ireland: Domestic building energy ratings

• Domestic Building Energy Rating (BER) audits were performed on over 1.15 million domestic properties between 2009 and 2023. BER audits are required for all dwellings offered for sale or rent since 2009 (see Background Notes).
• Of those buildings where a BER was carried out, 13% received an A rating, 14% a B rating, 34% a C rating, 19% a D rating, 9% an E rating and 10% an F or G rating (see Table 3.13).
• Dwellings built in recent years are much more energy efficient than those constructed in earlier periods, with 99% of those built between 2020 and 2023 receiving an A rating, compared to just 2% of those built pre-1978.
• By contrast, 30% of dwellings constructed pre-1978 received an F or G energy rating when given a BER audit, compared with 0% since 2010.