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A Garda vehicle on an almost deserted section of the M50 motorway. PA Images

Dramatic fall in Ireland's transport pollution as we undertake 'natural experiment'

Since Covid-19 restrictions came into force the use of planes, trains and vehicles have all dramatically fallen.

POLLUTION FROM CARS has dropped by 50% across Ireland since the start of the lockdown laws, research has shown.

The amount of private cars on the roads have dropped by more than 85% since the restrictions began.

Researchers at Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI), a research centre in energy, climate and marine at University College Cork (UCC), has revealed the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on Ireland’s energy-related pollution levels.

Since Covid-19 restrictions came into force the use of planes, trains and vehicles have all dramatically fallen.

The analysis examines Ireland’s pollution levels prior to lockdown measures and compares it with those levels during lockdown.

Among the findings is that pollution from cars has dropped by 50%, but air pollution from solid fuel burning has not changed.

In Ireland, the average commuter spends 28.2 minutes driving to work, equating to around an hour per day. That means for every week Ireland is in lockdown, people will reclaim five hours that would have otherwise been spent in their car.

The energy we use for transport accounts for about 40% of Ireland’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from private cars are nearly twice the amount of flights.

Travelling to work and school accounts for over a third of the journeys taken by Irish people each year.

Each week the school run requires Irish parents to drive a seven million kilometres in total, emitting an estimated of 1,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions. That is equivalent to the annual driving of about 400 cars.

During this time of significant remote virtual working, electricity has become our primary source of energy, providing power for office work, lighting and entertainment.

The research illustrates that every day is the weekend, as electricity usage patterns now replicate a weekend demand profile seven days a week.

The analysis shows that the demand for electricity has seen a decrease of between 5% and 10% over seasonal expectations since early March as a result of the Covid-19 measures.

Meanwhile, nine out of 10 flights have been cancelled since restrictions commenced, and if flight restrictions continue, it would be the equivalent of switching off the State’s largest electricity generating station at Moneypoint, in Co Clare for six months, the research shows.

In Ireland, flights are responsible for 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 emission every year, which is the equivalent of one car driving 363,000 laps of the planet.

The World Health Organisation estimates annual deaths of 1,500 per year are attributable to outdoor air pollution in Ireland.

Data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) has shown how concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — a pollutant mainly emitted by road transport and to a lesser extent electricity generation — have decreased in many European cities.

NO2 has been linked to increased levels of lung conditions ranging from asthma and bronchitis to respiratory-related hospital admissions and emergency room visits.

The Environmental Protection Agency has reported a decrease in concentrations of up to 50% of nitrogen dioxide at many monitoring stations across the National Air Quality Monitoring Network.

UCC researcher Dr James Glynn said: “Covid-19 lockdown measures across the globe are creating a natural experiment for climate and energy researchers to observe how extreme demand scenarios can drive large scale fossil fuel demand destruction and collapse oil market prices.

By exploring the impact these restrictions are having on Ireland’s pollution levels, we are also seeking to understand feasible actions to mitigate climate change. We need to make long-term, equitable and sustainable changes to our lifestyles, to our economy and to our energy system.

“Climate change mitigation is a marathon event requiring rapid and sustained steady changes in how we consume energy.”

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    Mute Daniel Dunne
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    May 19th 2020, 3:42 PM

    Massaging our minds for the unavoidable massive carbon tax hike to pay for the budget shortfall caused by Covid 19.

    119
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    Mute Brynþór Patrekursson
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    May 19th 2020, 3:46 PM

    @Daniel Dunne: your mind is massaged enough – you know the greens are a left wing party? Which side are you really on!

    18
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    Mute Kevin Farrell
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    May 20th 2020, 1:58 AM

    @Brynþór Patrekursson: the Greens are not a left wing party. I am a former member. They will happily propose measures that wealthy people can afford, but which the rest of the citizens of the nation cannot.

    4
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    Mute Dominic Foley
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    May 19th 2020, 3:55 PM

    The death toll and people infected so far from COVID19 is awful and with that I certainly think it’s been a awake up call not only for Ireland but the world. Sustainability globally is on tender hooks. But this is a good opertunity to look at new ideas of how we can better our environment and ourselves and how we go about our daily lives. If we can work from home and pop into the office once, twice a week surely it’s better in cutting down on time wasted in traffic and with that increases in air pollution. Public transport needs to be heavily invested, we all know that. It was a disgrace tearing up all those train tracks in the 50′s. The next 10 years are going to be really important in how we develop more sustainable living and ensuring that the environment is protected and our health.

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    Mute Marty G
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    May 19th 2020, 4:43 PM

    @Dominic Foley: *tenterhooks

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    Mute Dominic Foley
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    May 19th 2020, 6:35 PM

    @Marty G: blame the autocorrect but thanks for that anyway

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    Mute Carla Killeen
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    May 19th 2020, 6:40 PM

    @Dominic Foley: Hear Hear!

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    Mute TrungelC
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    May 19th 2020, 9:14 PM

    @Dominic Foley: well said and agree 100%. I just have invested in an ebike myself, love it soooo much!

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    Mute Adam Conroy
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    May 19th 2020, 4:44 PM

    Massive carbon taxes coming no doubt. Especially if Greens are in government.

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    Mute Alan
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    May 19th 2020, 5:03 PM

    @Adam Conroy: it won’t matter who is in government, there will have to be tax increases regardless. There’s no magic money tree.

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    Mute Gordon Comstock
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    May 19th 2020, 5:16 PM

    @Alan: there is a non-magic downsizing option though. Why should ordinary workers have their standards of living further reduced to support an inefficient state that doesn’t provide value for money or good services to the people expected to pay for it all?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    May 19th 2020, 5:21 PM

    Those of us with respiratory & immune illnesses, driven by diesel pollution, are indeed rejoicing #MCAS

    26
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    Mute Carla Killeen
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    May 19th 2020, 6:43 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: Totally agree Gavin, be interesting to see figures from the Asthma Society of Ireland, would expect asthma attacks are lower.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    May 19th 2020, 9:35 PM

    @Carla Killeen: If asthma attacks are lower it might make the penny drop with the Department of Finance that a huge percentage of taxes raised on petrol & especially diesel actually goes towards paying for the health harm caused by burning said hydrocarbons and exhausting their filthy exhaust gasses at toddler level in our towns & cities.

    I think that’s a legitimate single sentence :)

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    Mute paul kelly
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    May 19th 2020, 4:06 PM

    No Chemtrails, Gemma and the loons must be happy.

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    Mute Dave Nomates
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    May 19th 2020, 5:12 PM

    @paul kelly:
    Give it a Rest.

    16
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    Mute Dave Nomates
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    May 19th 2020, 5:13 PM

    Imagine if she was right, and you were wrong, Keep an open mind.

    18
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    Mute Dave Nomates
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    May 19th 2020, 5:14 PM

    So we can reduce the carbon tax hoax.

    13
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    Mute Liam Dunne
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    May 20th 2020, 10:08 AM

    I thought they said that it was the cows that were causing all the pollution. What did they do with them over the past two months? Put masks on their hindquarters!!

    3
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