The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) said it saw significant increases in demand for road diesel, motor petrol and jet fuel in 2022 as the Covid travel restrictions were lifted.
In its Interim Energy Balance for 2022, SEAI said the increases in transport fuels are largely due to Covid rebounds, with more movement of goods and services across the country.
It noted that international aviation was the sub-sector worst impacted by Covid, and the last to recover, but has almost fully rebounded to pre-Covid levels.
"While transport emissions in 2022 were up 6.5% on the previous year, they are 4.4% lower than in 2018 - the baseline year for the calculation of our carbon budgets, and the overall 2030 target of a 51% reduction in GHG emissions," the SEAI said.
Today's research showed significant reductions in the natural gas, heating oil, and solid fuels used for heating homes and businesses, and to drive industrial processes in factories.
This resulted in a 1.1 MtCO2 reduction in energy-related emissions. The SEAI said this reduction explains how Ireland's overall energy-related emissions fell, despite the substantial increase in transport emissions.
The SEAI said the annual energy-related emissions in Ireland's carbon budgets fell by 1.9% in 2022 and are now 7.3% lower than in 2018.
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Emissions from electricity generation in 2022 were down 2.1% on the previous year, due to greater use of wind, and less use of coal, oil, and peat for electricity generation.
But at the end of 2022, when we were 40% through the 2021-2025 carbon budget period, electricity had already emitted half of its allowance.
The electricity sector is therefore off track and will exceed its emission ceiling unless substantial cuts are made in the second half of the budget, the SEAI cautioned.
Overall, annual energy emissions were down by 1.9% on 2021, and down 7.3% on 2018.
Margie McCarthy, Director of Research and Policy Insights, said the country's emissions reduced in 2022, meaning we are beginning to reverse increases experienced in 2021.
"But the current reductions are much too slow to stay within our carbon budgets. Every year that we underachieve against our targets makes the challenge much harder for future years," Ms McCarthy cautioned.
She said that on a positive noted, the numbers of heat-pumps and solar-PV installed in people's homes are increasing while there are more electric vehicles on Irish roads.
"Our choices are important. We must keep the fossil fuel elimination front-of-mind. Achieving our renewable energy target for electricity by 2030, matched with the phase-out of coal, oil and peat in electricity generation is a fundamental part of the short journey to the end of this decade," she added.
