Data centres should supply their excess heat to local communities, climate council says

It called for a range of measures to be introduced urgently, saying the country will fail to meet its five-year carbon budget cycle targets without a dramatic escalation of action.

In regard to transport, which has seen its emissions rise since the covid-19 pandemic, the Climate Council recommended:

• Motor tax be redesigned to promote energy-efficient vehicles and tax should increase year on year for polluting cars;
• Local authorities in main cities should introduce park-and-ride schemes along major roads, and plan to reduce the number of public parking spaces;
• The Taxsaver commuter ticket — a scheme to encourage people to use public transport — and the State's cycle-to-work schemes should be revamped to motivate commuters;
• The introduction of parking levies at workplaces in main cities.

In relation to construction, the Climate Council recommends updating building regulations to increase the use of timber in construction, as well as greater usage of lower carbon cement and concrete.

It said high-energy data centres should be compelled to supply their excess heat to local communities to support district heating schemes, potentially bringing hot water or air heating through an underground network to a large number of homes.

To achieve this, the Government has been urged to look to other countries that have successfully rolled out district heating. 

The upcoming budget should set out a plan to ensure all social housing is upgraded to a building energy rating of B2, or connected to a district heating network, by 2030, the Climate Council said.

The national retrofitting scheme, which aims to ensure 500,000 homes are upgraded to B2 Building Energy Rating (BER) by 2030, needs to be ramped up, with homes that use peat or coal in the main for heating made priority.

For farmers, opportunities for the rollout of feed additives for dairy farms that reduce methane emissions from cattle should be made "urgently", it said.

Agriculture

Agriculture remains by far the largest contributor to overall emissions in Ireland, with beef and dairy cattle mainly generating methane through digestion and waste.

Plans to prepare for rising sea levels in the face of global warming are also "urgently" needed in Ireland, the Climate Council warned.

It called for more power to be given to local authorities to "help deliver onshore and offshore renewable energy applications more efficiently". 

Those in the renewable energy industry have long complained about the laborious process it takes from planning to execution in Ireland.

Where and what type of onshore wind should be located across the country needs to be conclusively decided by the Government, the Climate Council said.

Ireland's carbon budgets, which allocate emissions ceilings to motorists, households, farmers, businesses, and industry in five-year cycles, aim to reduce emissions by 4.8% a year from 2021 to 2025 under the first block, while the 2026-2030 budget will increase that annual reduction target to 8.3%.

Climate Council chair Marie Donnelly said: "Strong leadership from Government is required to make the difficult decisions that are needed to deliver systemic change throughout our economy and society. 

"Key to this is effective and consistent engagement with communities, ensuring a fair and equitable transition, while building and maintaining public support and action. We all have a role to play."