Opportunities for new jobs in areas such as heat pump installation and manufacture have been identified in a new report featuring recommendations for the decarbonisation of Northern Ireland.
Just published, Northern Ireland’s Fourth Carbon Budget features recommendations from UK advisory body the Climate Change Committee (CCC) for the pathway to decarbonisation.
It recommends a 77% reduction in average annual emissions compared to the 1990 baseline, over the five-year period from 2038 to 2042.
Professor Piers Forster, Interim Chair, said, “The Committee is delighted to be able to present a good news story about how Northern Ireland can decarbonise. To deliver against its ambitious climate commitments, immediate action is necessary.”
While emissions have fallen by 26% between the 1990 baseline and 2022 to 21.3 MtCO2e, CCC said the pace of emissions reduction will need to increase significantly to ensure Northern Ireland meets its targets.
The Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 sets targets of a 48% reduction in net emissions by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2050.
Priority recommendations for Northern Ireland include:
Helping households install low-carbon heating: Addressing barriers in upfront costs, particularly for low-income households, in transitioning highly-emitting oil boilers to low-carbon electric heat.
Decarbonising electricity supply: Introducing a support scheme for renewable generation, addressing barriers to the expansion of transmission and distribution infrastructure in planning and regulation, and ensuring grid connections are easily available to renewables, industry, EV charging and other low-carbon loads.
Expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure: Supporting the deployment of public charge points across Northern Ireland, which currently has the fewest public EV charge points per capita of any of UK nation.
www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Northern-Irelands-Fourth-Carbon-Budget-1.pdf
