17 May 2021
Covid-19 restrictions
in Ireland had a significant impact on energy use and related carbon dioxide
emissions in 2020.
According to a study
by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the country’s total
energy use dropped by 9.2 per cent while the economy contracted by 5.4 per
cent.
The SEAI is Ireland’s
national energy authority and is funded through the Department of the
Environment, Climate and Communications.
In 2020,
energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were at their lowest since 1993, as
they fell by 12.4 per cent or 4.6 million tonnes, which is 31 per cent below 2005
emission levels.
The drop marks the biggest
annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions since the height of the recession
in 2009.
Transport & energy use in 2020
The restrictions
imposed by the Irish Government on both domestic and international travel greatly
contributed to the decline, as half of this reduction was from international
aviation alone. Overall, energy use from transport fell by over a quarter.
Oil products used for
transport accounted for the largest reduction in energy use, which saw a 16.5
per cent drop.
The decrease was
equivalent to 3.6 million tonnes and was the largest annual reduction in oil
use ever recorded in Ireland.
Jet kerosene use
declined by a staggering 64.4 per cent while petrol use fell by almost quarter.
Road diesel also saw a significant drop of 13.6 per cent in its use.
Other energy areas
also saw a usage drop in 2020, including peat-generated electricity, which fell
by over a third.
Due to the decline in use of fossil fuel energy sources like coal, oil and peat, the carbon dioxide intensity of electricity consequently fell by 8.8 per cent.
In comparison, energy
from renewable energy sources increased by 8.5 per cent in 2020.
40.2 per cent of
electricity was generated through renewable resources in 2020, the vast
majority of which came from wind.
Although the latest
data released by the SEAI shows a significant drop in energy-related emissions
during the pandemic, analysts project that emissions are likely to increase as
Irish society reverts to its pre-pandemic energy use levels.
Additionally, according
to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 6 per cent drop in emissions
from Irish power generation and major industry did not match the decrease of
11-12 per cent across Europe in 2020.
“The emissions
reduction in 2020 must be built on to achieve continual, substantial
year-on-year reductions, making the 2020s the decade of climate action,” EPA
Director-General Laura Burke said.
Story by Shauna Burdis
The post SEAI: Covid-19 lockdown led to major drop in energy-related emissions appeared first on Green News Ireland.
