Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment
- Title:
-
Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment
- Start Date:
-
2020
- End Date:
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2024
- Funding Bodies:
-
Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Department of Transport, MaREI
- Research Host:
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MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Institute, UCC, Ireland
- Project Partners:
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Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin & Environmental Protection Agency and partner Agencies
- Principal Investigators:
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Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, School of Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland
Professor Hannah Daly, School of Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland
Doctor Paul Deane, School of Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland
Associate Professor Brian Caulfield, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin
Associate Professor Diarmuid Torney, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University
- Postdoctoral Researchers:
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Dr Shane McDonagh, previously MaREI, University College Cork, Ireland, now at the International Energy Agency, Paris, France
Dr Connor McGookin, previously MaREI, University College Cork, Ireland
Dr Abhay Menon, previously MaREI, University College Cork, Ireland, now at eHeat Ireland
Dr Róisin Moriarty, MaREI, University College Cork, Ireland
Dr Agnieszka Stefaniec, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Tadhg O’Mahony, previously Dublin City University, now at University College Dublin
Dr Jean Léon Boucher, previously Dublin City University, now at the James Hutton Institute, Scotland
- Research Area:
-
climate change, net zero-emission pathways, societal and economic transition, energy transition, climate action and transformational change, benefits of climate action, energy and climate policy, assessment report, resilience, mitigation, adaptation
Introduction
Ireland’s National Mitigation Plan and National Adaptation Framework establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the body responsible for coordinating climate change research in Ireland. A National Climate Research Coordination Group was established as part of this coordination effort. This group must report annually on its activities and provide « an assessment and synthesis of key findings from the research programme and wider related research activities every five years ». This report is expected to inform national policy around climate change, specifically the National Mitigation Plan, National Adaptation Framework and updates to the Climate Action Plan.
The report, an authoritative assessment of climate change in Ireland, is based on scientific research and systematic observations in Ireland. It will also include European and international analysis and serve to identify research gaps and funding investment priorities. This will ensure that national capacity is developed to facilitate Ireland’s journey to a climate-resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral economy. It is also envisaged that these developments will enhance efforts at a European level.
The EPA and partner Agencies developed a writing process that will facilitate the delivery of this assessment. The report will be composed of 4 thematic volumes and an overarching synthesis report. The four volumes that makeup Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment are:
Volume 1: Science: Ireland in a changing world
Volume 2: Achieving climate neutrality by 2050
Volume 3: Being prepared for Ireland’s climate future
Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation
These volumes will be developed and delivered by teams of Irish academic experts and will build on a scentific assessment provided by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their Sixth Assessment Report. Working with experts from across Irish research institutions researchers at MaREI are responsible for the development of two volumes of the report – Volume 2 and Volume 4.
Work Packages
Volume 2: Achieving Climate Neutrality by 2050
This volume provides an assessment of how Ireland can contribue to stabilising the climate. It will unpack where greenhouse gases come from in Ireland before looking in detail at what the current literature tells us about our path to net zero for the various emissions sectors.
Project Team
Shane McDonagh (lead author)
Connor McGookin (lead author)
Abhay Menon (lead author)
Paul Deane (PI)
Brian Ó Gallachóir (PI)
Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation
This volume provides an assessment of how to close the implementation gap between climate ambition and climate action by creating the necessary environment to rapidly accelerate Ireland’s transition and transformation while augmenting benefits and opportunities.
Project Team
Róisin Moriarty (lead author)
Hannah Daly (PI)
Brian Caulfield (PI), Trinity College Dublin
Agnieszka Stefaniec (lead author), Trinity College Dublin
Tadhg O’Mahony (lead author), Dublin City University
Jean Léon Boucher (lead author [2021-2022]), Dublin City University
Diarmuid Torney (PI), Dublin City University
