Ireland's Standing in the EU - The Labour Party
| Environmental Indicator | EU Average | Ireland’s Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas emissions per capita. | 7.14 tonnes in 2024. | 11.86 tonnes in 2024, the second highest in the EU and 66% higher than the EU average. |
| Percentage of energy consumed from renewable sources. | 25.2% in 2024. | 15.2% in 2024, the third worst in the EU and a decrease on 2023. |
| Electric vehicles – share of car passenger fleet and publicly accessible charging points. | 1.2% share of car passenger fleet in 2022.
One charging point for every ten electric vehicles. |
1.5% share of car passenger fleet in 2025, better than the EU average.
One charging point for every 23 vehicles, below the EU average. |
| Land area under forest cover. | 39% in 2023. | 11.8% in 2023, the third lowest in the EU and significantly below the EU average. |
| Share of protected lands (i.e., lands with conservation status). | 26% in 2023. | 14% in 2023, the second lowest in the EU and significantly below the EU average. |
| Share of protected marine areas. | 14% in 2023. | 2.3% in 2023, the lowest in the EU and significantly below the EU average. |
| Land used for organic farming. | 10.50% in 2022. | 2.20% in 2022, the second lowest rate in the EU and significantly below the EU average. |
| Carbon intensity of land (land use, land use change and forestry). | -19.47 tonnes of carbon per square kilometre in 2024. The EU’s land use sector is a net carbon sink, meaning it absorbs more carbon than it emits. | 17.95 tonnes of carbon per square kilometre in 2024. Ireland’s land use sector has the fourth highest emissions in the EU, and is one of only nine EU countries where it is a net emitter, rather than a carbon sink. |
| Urban waste water collection and treatment in compliance with EU Directive. | 81% in 2020. | 47% in 2020, the fifth lowest in the EU and significantly below the EU average. |
| Waste generation per capita, meaning how much waste the average individual generates in a year. | 520kg of municipal waste in 2020.
186kg of packaging waste in 2022. |
644kg of municipal waste in 2020, 21% higher than the EU average.
234kg of packaging waste in 2022, 23% higher than the EU average. |
| Circular material use rate, which refers to the proportion of material used in the economy that is recycled waste. | 11.8% in 2023. | 2.3% in 2023, with little improvement over the preceding decade. |
| Resource productivity, which refers to the monetary value generated per kilogram of material consumed in the economy. | €2.23 per kg in 2023. | €4.02 per kg in 2023, meaning resources are more economically productive in Ireland than the EU average. |
| Recycling rate for mineral construction and demolition materials. | 78.1% in 2020. | 39.7% in 2020. |
| The percentage of GDP spent on the protection of nature. | 0.8% as of 2023. | 0.5% of Irish GNI* (GDP equivalent) as of 2023, the third lowest in the EU. |
| Carbon intensity of business sectors. | The average carbon intensity across the EU for Ireland’s top five emitting sectors in 2022 ranges from 16.57 CO2 per million€ (professional/technical) to 266.73 per million€ (manufacturing). | Ireland’s top five emitting sectors still emit far below EU averages, except for construction (78.37 IRE vs 62.88 EU). |
| Carbon intensity of loans by banks to non-financial companies. | Approx. 76 tonnes of CO2 per €mil in 2023, a downward trend since 2018. | Approx. 175 tonnes of CO2 per €mil in 2023, an upward trend since 2018, and more than double the EU average. |