In this week’s sustainability/ESG bulletin we bring you news of ‘Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland’ a new Government office to support consumers, the public sector and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. Also covered is Ireland’s new legislation on solid fuel as the European Commission calls on Ireland to correctly transpose EU air quality rules, a €1.1 billion investment for peace and reconciliation and cross-border cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and £54 million that will be made available in the UK for funding carbon removal projects.
Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland
The Irish Government has launched a dedicated office for supporting consumers, the public sector and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) launched on 21 July 2022, along with the announcement of new initiatives and grants. It includes information for the general public, for businesses and for public sector bodies and an infographic detailing its mission, responsibilities and priorities.
Irish Government passes new legislation on solid fuels
The Irish Government has agreed draft regulations on solid fuels in Ireland. The primary focus of the draft regulations is on the large-scale, commercial sale of smoky fuels which are proven to be a major contributor to air pollution, a leading cause of premature deaths. The Government will engage with industry and retailers to give guidance and information necessary to ensure that all solid fuel placed on the Irish market meets the standards required by the new regulations, which will apply from 31 October 2022.
The news comes as the European Commission calls on Ireland to correctly transpose EU air quality rules. Ireland, along with Finland, has not correctly transposed certain requirements of the Air Quality Directive, and now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission.
“Everything is connected” – Creating our Future campaign
“Solutions for the future cannot be developed in silos – everything is connected.” This was one of the recommendations made by an expert committee which reviewed over 18,000 submissions to the ‘Creating Our Future’ campaign, a campaign that ran from July to December 2021 and asked the Irish public to submit ideas on how Ireland can create a better future. The outputs and recommendations from the campaign will be integrated into the Government’s new national research and innovation strategy Impact 2030, and will inform the National Challenge Fund, as well as future public engagement campaigns. Other recommendations included ‘Embedding Climate Action across Society’ and ‘Building Resilience and Preparedness: Insights from the Pandemic’.
€1.1 billion investment for peace and reconciliation and cross-border cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland
The European Commission has adopted PEACE PLUS, a new cross-border EU programme to strengthen peace and reconciliation and cross-border cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Commission will invest €235 million, which – together with the UK's financial commitment and additional national co-financing from Ireland and Northern Ireland – will result in a total investment of €1.1 billion in peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland. The programme will target investment in six key thematic areas, including delivering economic regeneration and transformation and supporting a sustainable and better-connected future. It will contribute to the transition to a green and climate-resilient society, investing in projects for geothermal energy, improving cross border mobility on the rail line between Belfast and Dublin and cross-border investments in water management and biodiversity.
£54 million in UK funding for carbon removal projects
The UK government has announced that 15 projects across the UK will benefit from a share of over £54 million to develop technologies that remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere. This funding aims to help develop a new greenhouse gas removal industry in the UK, potentially worth billions to the UK economy and creating new jobs.
UK Net Zero Tax Review
The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) has asked HM Treasury to consider a Net Zero Tax Review to establish how the tax system can best support the transition to Net Zero. The recommendations were made in its 2022 Progress Report to Parliament the CCC’s annual assessment of UK progress in reducing emissions. Read more in ICEAW Tax News.
In case you missed it… Briefly
This week, Accountancy Ireland’s Briefly news round-up of must-reads focus on... the economics of the climate:
- Transitioning to green energy is key to both tackling climate change and creating sustainable economies. Here's why (World Economic Forum)
- U.S. emissions linked to over $1.8 trillion of global economic losses, study says (Washington Post)
- Stick with net zero targets for good of economy, businesses urge next PM (The Guardian)
- Focus on short-term profits fuelling global biodiversity crisis, says UN report (Irish Times)
- Despite global economic volatility, carbon markets remain 'stable and growing' (S&P Global)
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