GHG scenarios
Why does Ireland need removals?
Reaching net zero takes both halves: cutting emissions as far as possible, and removing what is left. Scroll through Ireland’s numbers to see why.
01 — Where we are
Ireland’s emissions today
Ireland emitted 54.9 MtCO₂e in 2023, down from 61.6 in 2018 — real progress, but well short of the pace the targets require.
02 — The targets
Halve by 2030, net zero by 2050
Irish law requires a 51% cut by 2030 (versus 2018) and climate neutrality by 2050. The EU’s Climate Law makes 2050 neutrality legally binding for every member state — and net-negative emissions after.
03 — What’s left
Some emissions can’t be cut
Even under the most ambitious plans, a residue of hard-to-abate emissions — overwhelmingly from agriculture — remains in 2050. Cutting emissions alone cannot reach zero.
04 — Why removals
Removals close the gap
Carbon removal balances those residual emissions to reach net zero — and can take Ireland net-negative afterwards. This is the role the IPCC and the EU’s science advisors say removals must play.
Sources & notes
Emissions for 2018 (61.6) and 2023 (54.9 MtCO₂e) are from the EPA’s Ireland’s Final Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990–2023 (April 2025). Targets are set by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act and the EU Climate Law. The 2050 residual and removals are shown as illustrative shape, not a figure — there is no official 2050 residual estimate; modelling (Teagasc/FAPRI) indicates agriculture will remain the dominant source.