Quantitative approaches to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Neutrality

Anthropogenic GHGs are primarily responsible for current climate change. The literature has highlighted that both human and other species in Ireland will be severely affected by the adverse impact of climate change. The EPA in Ireland is working with other national bodies, the EU and UNFCCC to reduce GHGs in order to keep the rise of average global temperatures below 2oC.

In light of recent policy changes arising from the Paris Agreement, there is a need to make a synergy between national and international policies, to update our understanding of the changes to the accounting system for GHG emissions for EU countries, and to continuously improve emissions inventory preparation and projections in line with the state of the art.

This project will: 

• provide improved GHG emissions estimation, and information regarding loopholes in policies; 
• assist emissions projection and reporting of emission by exploring the relation between science, guidelines and practices; 
• and assist the EPA with quantitative measures to assess progress towards a low carbon future.

This research project will also produce new knowledge on the development and applicability of a set of GHG indicators for assessing the carbon neutral or carbon balanced future in Ireland.