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Analysis: The argument that Ireland is too small to take climate action doesn’t hold up

Despite our small size, we have a significant carbon footprint in global rankings

AMID THE POSITIVE moves made during the first week of what is arguably the most important global climate summit to date, a China-sized cloud has hung over COP26 in Glasgow.

Updated country emissions reduction plans and a global pact to reduce methane emissions by 30% this decade look set to edge us closer to the coveted 1.5 degree target.

Yet, a bigger issue took centre stage in much of the early discussions – the absence of Xi Jinping, the leader of China, the world’s largest carbon emitter.

The decision was widely criticised, with US President Joe Biden telling the climate conference that its rival superpower was walking away from its climate responsibility. 

While Xi’s absence is unhelpful, as climate conference veteran and climate policy advisor Tara Shine told RTE’s Prime Time from Glasgow earlier in the week, the Chinese delegation is very much “at the table” and in the negotiations mix at the global summit.

Still, the absence of Xi has opened the floodgates for online commentators to break out the old trope that there is little point in the Irish people pulling up their socks when the giant to our East continues to spew out emissions like there is no tomorrow.

Before deciding that our nation can do little to limit the impacts of the climate breakdown, we need to take account of how we stack up globally. So, do we really need to do more to play our role in the global run of things? The data would say yes. 

JoeBidenCOP US President Joe Biden criticised the absence of China's leader at COP26 Kiara Worth / UNFCCC Kiara Worth / UNFCCC / UNFCCC

Need to pull our weight

First of all, the argument that we are too small of a nation to take action doesn’t hold up particularly well when we have a larger population than more than 100 other countries in the world. If all of these countries took the same attitude that they are too small to take action, then we would be in serious trouble as a global collective.

As climate scientist, and Climate Change Advisory Council member, Dr Cara Augustenborg highlights, a quarter of the world’s emissions come from countries like Ireland, contributing less than 2% each but collectively adding up to emissions levels similar in scale to China and the US.  

While our individual emissions levels do pale in comparison to China – our share is around .1% of global emissions – we are still among the top 75 emitters globally and are performing very poorly compared to our European neighbours. 

In 2019, according to the Central Statistics Office, Ireland ranked seventh worst out of 28 EU member states in terms of its total greenhouse gas emissions. This gets even worse when you look at our emissions levels on a per capita basis. 

Failing low-emitting counterparts

EU data shows that we had the third worst greenhouse gases emissions per capita in Europe in 2019 at just over 12 tonnes of CO2 equivalent - 53% higher than the EU average of 7.9 tonnes.

On a global scale – taking just CO2 emissions into account – we emitted over 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per capita in 2018, putting us inside the top 30 globally.

We would likely be further up the table if other greenhouse gases were taken into account in this World Bank analysis due to high methane emissions from our agricultural sector.

While not faring as badly as the oil-producing Gulf countries by this metric, stacked up against low-emitting but highly climate vulnerable countries such as Burundi, we clearly have much more work to do to reduce emissions and play our fair share. 

The funding bump in Ireland’s climate finance contribution for developing countries announced by the Taoiseach at COP26 is a welcome addition.

However, we could be doing a much bigger service to countries such as Burundi and Madagascar – a low emitting island nation on the verge of the world’s first climate-induced famine – by pulling our weight in the collective effort to get to net zero by 2050.

As Tara Shine said earlier this week on China, “we need to be careful who we demonise” in the battle to tackle the existential crisis of our lives.

“We all need to do better,” she said. And Ireland is no different. 

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

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    Mute Sat Nav Maps
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 5:01 PM

    Ireland’s forgotten town

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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 5:36 PM

    Totally down trodden by Louth Co Co since the seat of power for the town / city was removed. Time to hand back control of the town to Drogheda!!

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    Mute Alan McDonagh
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:36 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: Who removed the seat of power from Drogheda??

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    Mute Jack Boardman
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:58 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: when BD site opened I was excavator operator do all foundation there I been from rush Co Dublin alderman Moore kicked up that I should not be employed as I leaved out side and treating close the site if it continued but guess what never happened it’s sad to hearing news off closure Jackie

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 8:04 PM

    @Jack Boardman: Wow have you ever heard of spelling and grammar?

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 8:31 PM

    @Jack Boardman: For listeners of Pj and Jim on radio nova, I think we might have found the bomber?. Jack’s comment is exactly how Pj describes the bombers text.

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    Mute Marie Agnew
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 9:20 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: Seat of power!! No town has more power than any other town, yes Drogheda has gone downhill, but god knows Dundalk has suffered it’s fair share of hardships over the decades being so close and in competition with the border. Dundalk thrives better now because Newry has been decimated and shoppers no longer travel cross border

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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 10:07 PM

    @Alan McDonagh: Government!!

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    Mute Mary Conneely
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 11:23 PM

    @Ger Whelan: I am sure they have, however some people’s literacy skills may not be as good as yours. A little consideration please, he got his point across.

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    Mute Alan McDonagh
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:35 PM

    Get Nash sat at the Cabinet Table as Super Junior Minister and done Nothing for Drogheda, now he’s concerned and wants task force’s and everything else.
    The man who ABOLISHED Drogheda Borough Council is now worried about Drogheda, an absolute Joke !!

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 5:51 PM

    Ireland must not be as profitable for BD anymore. They sold off their factory in south county Dublin a couple of years ago.

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    Mute Sean Finnegan
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:39 PM

    @Ger Whelan: Embecta is a spin off from BD

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 8:08 PM

    @Sean Finnegan: Really. The usual reason for a spin off is because of A. Tax reasons or B. It was no longer profitable therefore no longer viable to keep it. Any idea what they do there?

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    Mute Big Haus
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 5:09 PM

    Wouldn’t happen in Dundalk, Joan’s jewel

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    Mute Peter Byrne
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:59 PM

    This is the result of the increase in wages costs brought in by the present government and which will see plenty more similar jobs move to lower cost countries. . We are told we have full employment so I am sure the workers will have no problem finding alternative jobs.
    Very interesting article in today’s Independent which reports that most of the jobs created in 2024 were state jobs , which will lead to the countries ruin

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 9:43 PM

    @Peter Byrne: which leads to higher taxes to pay public service desk jockeys! We need more elec,tech & mech trainees to keep industrial jobs manned & attractive to investors.

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    Mute Joseph Tierney
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:47 PM

    This is business pure and simple.Were moving to a lower cost destination.Thank you Ireland for your grant aids over the years but we will make more money in a new destination.Goverment and economy issue now regarding jobs for the workers.

    37
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    Mute Tony Mc Cormack
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 6:59 PM

    Again poor Drogheda loses a steady long time quality employer. Good quality companies leave and have never been replaced. The town is divided in two by the toll bridges.Our TD’s don’t appear to have any clout to get the simplest thing done . Sincere sympathy to the workers if they expect any support from government ministers. As Michael Bell said when the shoe and leather workers union marched the streets of Dublin with a coffin in the1970s to signify our trade ” cheap imports are the death of our Jobs” they’re all forever gone.

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    Mute Max Cooper
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 9:48 PM

    Cost of doing business in this Country is gone through the Roof.
    Pensions
    Sick pay
    Employers PRSI
    Additional bank holiday
    Insurance
    Energy cost
    Taxation
    Compliance with never ending regulations
    Fraudulent insurance claims
    Bent legal system
    It’s not worth the hassle
    More and more companies are making the same decisions, move or close.
    Government just keep piling on the costs

    29
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 10:03 PM

    From Louth, born in the Lourdes. Had a walk around Drogheda recently. First time in maybe twenty years. Jaysus, I couldn’t believe it. The place is dying on its feet. It’s sad. I loved Drogheda. Lefty politicians like the aforementioned are not the solution. Hopefully it will rise up.

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    Mute Patrice Ahern
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    Jul 3rd 2024, 8:00 PM

    Effing judge nolan is at it again. Perhaps that poor defendant should be compensated. What’s that you say? The victim? Tough luck, the victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next, enter that other buffoon o’donnell from Limk. So angry.

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    Mute Joe Kelly
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    Jul 6th 2024, 8:33 AM

    @Patrice Ahern: whats has that to do with drogheda

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    Mute Adam Condon
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    Jul 4th 2024, 12:20 AM

    BD Drogheda was to close mid 2000’s but survived through voluntary redundancy and a re-orientation of the plant. Best wishes to all impacted but politicians/ IDA asleep at the wheel here if no other large companies were brought to a vibrant town / area with a ~19 year warning..

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