IRISH COMPANIES ARE getting better at voluntarily declaring their emissions – but several State bodies are still holding data from the public, a Noteworthy investigation has found.
The science is clear on the only solution to the climate problem: limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050 at the latest. To do so, the global economy needs to operate at net zero emissions by mid-century. Things appear to be changing recently, with a rise in voluntary reporting by companies, influenced in large part by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures .
While the public is limited to accessing 20 records per month, Noteworthy requested, and was provided with, access to the CDP database to analyse the emissions data of companies with operations in Ireland. According to the latest 2020 data, Ireland outperforms the global average, with 11% of the 47 making the “A List” compared to 3% globally. This includes Kingspan, ESB, AIB Group, and Accenture.
We also looked at energy data that public bodies report to the Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland , as well as overall emissions data held by State agencies. Scope 3 or indirect emissions along a company’s value chain, such as business travel and commuting ,were not examined as most companies are yet to systematically record this data.We’ve created a searchable table showing a detailed breakdown of EU ETS emissions data from industrial sites in Ireland.
There are also encouraging signs of improvements in the wider public sector based on an analysis of energy-related data that the public sector must report every year to the SEAI. The most common energy efficiency projects undertaken by the private sector, according to the CDP data, include building upgrades, retrofits, changes in transportation, better energy procurement and through behavioural change within organisations.
Irish Rail is also high up the list with various changes since 2008 at its depots and at other sites such as the introduction of fluorescent fittings & lighting controls. Local authorities have also fared well. The data collected, however, also shows there is still some way to go to translate energy efficiency gains into a drop in absolute emissions in some sectors of the Irish economy.
While the majority of agricultural emissions are accounted for outside of EU ETS, the facilities of several agri-food processors fall under the system. While emissions have started to fall in emissions-heavy sectors such as cement and refineries, largely owing to investment in energy efficiencies, the sectors still have a significant footprint, with several companies at similar or higher levels of emissions in 2020 compared to 2013.
One means to help achieve both energy efficiency and the rapid reduction in emissions required is through carbon budgets, Price said, rather than focusing on policy changes without any cap on allowed emissions. Specifically in Ireland, Business in the Community Ireland has developed a low carbon pledge through which members publicly commit to set science-based targets.
“We’re seeing a really key driver of the investor challenging clients to explain what your business will look like in 10 years time. This has really changed how we talk about climate and how much heat it’s given in the boardroom,” she said. According to Aideen O’Dochartaigh, an assistant professor in accounting at DCU’s Business School, focusing on intensity measurements “is a red herring”.
Bord Bia told Noteworthy that it focused on carbon intensity reporting to “ensure alignment with other global and national farm sustainability reports”, adding that reporting on emissions intensity is “standard practice” in the dairy and beef industry. “There will be the case that a company, let’s say, makes an acquisition – very strategic, very forward looking – but maybe their emissions go up significantly that year because of that acquisition.”While energy efficiency gains and energy intensity are important metrics, Hannah Daly, a University College Cork lecturer and researcher specialising in energy systems, told Noteworthy that focusing on one metric can have “perverse incentives for gaming the metric”.
noteworthy_ie The green party = higher taxes