2023 was the warmest year on record; with each month from June to December setting a global record. In fact, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, every major global climate record was broken – “and in some cases smashed” – last year. Allied to this, extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity.
In its March 2023 Synthesis Report, the IPCC explicitly asserted that it is “unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land”. Similarly, throughout its Sixth Assessment Cycle which concluded in July 2023, the IPCC repeatedly warned about the urgency of climate action.
Even though more than half of global GHG emissions are now accounted for under climate laws, policies, and institutions, the Paris Agreement goals for mitigation, adaptation, and finance are not being met. Even in a best-case scenario, the IPCC Synthesis Report projects that global temperatures will exceed 1.5oC above the pre-industrial baseline in the early 2030s.
The probability of irreversible changes to the climate system positively correlates with increases in global warming. To minimise damage to humans and ecosystems, radical, swift, and consistent mitigation must be implemented alongside accelerated adaptation.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, three five-year carbon budgets have established upper limits for total GHG emissions. The first carbon budget requires Ireland to remain within an upper limit of 295 Mt CO2eq for the period between 2021 and 2025.
However, the EPA’s annual GHG emissions report for 2022 indicates that Ireland has already used 47 per cent of this total, meaning that the challenge is to deliver a 12.4 per cent annual reduction for the remaining three years. On the current trajectory, the EPA estimates that Ireland will reduce emissions by 29 per cent by 2030, well short of the 51 per cent target. Likewise, the CCAC has concluded that “despite progress in some sectors, it is unlikely that the first carbon budget will be met”.
Currently, the pace of climate action and emissions reduction is inadequate. Responsibility and leadership for converting scientific aspiration into accelerated climate action rests with policymakers, businesses, and societal organisations.
All sectors – including agriculture, electricity, built environment, industry, and transport – have a role to play in accelerating emissions reductions on a sustained basis.
In this context, the Irish Climate Summit 2024 will focus on the practicalities of moving from aspiration to accelerated climate action.
