Building a credible national strategy

The Irish Government’s 2030 Climate Action plan

In 2019, the Irish Government stated its objective to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030, they also want to have one million electric cars on Irish roads by the same date.

As it stands, there is widespread concern regarding this proposal as it is unachievable and not in line with EU law.

At present, cars in Ireland are estimated to emit between 10-12% of greenhouse gases. The EU has already set out plans to reduce these to zero by 2040 across Europe. And, for manufactures to be carbon neutral by 2050. Any manufactures who fail to meet these targets will be heavily fined. So, car manufactures are already aligned and determined to reach their 2040 targets. But other legislation can be counterproductive to achieving this.

Why is the 2030 plan counterproductive?

Because motorists are now unsure about what they should do. This means they’re holding on to older combustible cars which give off more emissions. And they’re hesitant about buying newer combustible models which are actually part of the solution – as they significantly reduce emissions.

That’s why we’re calling for a credible national strategy that will allow motorists to make smarter decisions, based on more realistic timelines.

What issues need to be addressed?

• Timelines
  Irish Government policy needs to adopt a focus and approach more in keeping with these timelines:
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  o The EU and European car manufacturers have signed the Paris Agreement which commits to reducing transport emissions by 90%, by 2050.
  o European car manufacturers pledged that they will not produce internal combustion engines (ICE) after 2040.
  o The focus in the interim is on reducing carbon emissions with a commitment to reduce by 15% by 2025, 30% by 2030 and by 90% by 2050.
• EU law
  A change in EU law would be required for Ireland to impose this ban:
  
  o Denmark made headlines in October 2018 when its government announced a similar ban on internal combustion engines by 2030.
  o It was subsequently scrapped because the plan would have breached EU rules.
• Tax reform
  High motor taxation is discouraging consumers from transitioning to new, lower-emission vehicles. This has created an ageing car fleet, with the knock-on effect of higher emissions.