Abstract
In 2020 Ireland missed its EU climate emissions target and without additional measures will not be on the right trajectory towards decarbonisation in the longer 2030 and 2050 challenges. Agriculture remains the single most significant contributor to overall emissions in Ireland. In the absence of effective mitigating strategies, agricultural emissions have continued to rise. The purpose of the review is to explore current research conducted in Ireland regarding environmental modelling within agriculture to identify research gap areas for further research. 10 models were selected and reviewed regarding modelling carbon emissions from agriculture in Ireland, the GAINS (Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) model used for air pollutants, the JRC-EU-TIMES, (Joint Research Council-European Union-The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) and the Irish TIMES model used for energy, the integrated modelling project Ireland (GAINS & TIMES), the environmental, economic model ENV-Linkages and ENV-Growth along with the IE3 and AGRI-I models. The review found that data on greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 reveals that emissions can be efficiently lowered if the right initiatives are taken. More precise emission factors and adaptable inventories are urgently needed to improve national CO2 reporting and minimise the agricultural sector’s emissions profile in Ireland. The Climate Action Delivery Act is a centrally driven monitoring and reporting system for climate action delivery that will help in determining optimal decarbonisation from agriculture in Ireland. Multi-modelling approaches will give a better understanding of the technology pathways that will be required to meet decarbonisation ambitions.
Highlights
The transition of Ireland’s environment, society, and economy to a low-carbon, climateresilient state while reaching national and international targets is a top priority for policymakers
The data collected from national agencies and peer-reviewed literature will be discussed and examples will show how environmental modelling supports decision making in Ireland regarding carbon emissions in agriculture
The Climate Action Delivery Act [4] is a centrally driven monitoring and reporting system for climate action delivery that may help in determining the optimal reduction in carbon emissions from agriculture in Ireland
Summary
The transition of Ireland’s environment, society, and economy to a low-carbon, climateresilient state while reaching national and international targets is a top priority for policymakers. Ireland’s government has passed a new climate law [1] that commits the country to become carbon-neutral by 2050. This will be accomplished by the Irish government through a ’National Climate 2050 Plan’ [2]. When compared to the With Existing Measures scenario, Additional Measures (including those in the 2019 Climate Action Plan [2]) are expected to conserve 58 Mt CO2 eq over the period 2021–2030. This equates to a 1.8% reduction in emissions every year over the course of the term. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout all sectors of the economy is expected to drive further reductions in emissions in 2020
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