Exploratory study on modelling agricultural carbon emissions in Ireland

In 2020 Ireland missed its EU climate emissions target and without additional measures will not be on the right trajectory towards decarbonisation in the longer 2030 and 2050 challenges. Agriculture remains the single most significant contributor to overall emissions in Ireland. In the absence of effective mitigating strategies, agricultural emissions have continued to rise. The purpose of the review is to explore current research conducted in Ireland regarding environmental modelling within agriculture to identify research gap areas for further research. 10 models were selected and reviewed regarding modelling carbon emissions from agriculture in Ireland, the GAINS (Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) model used for air pollutants, the JRC-EU-TIMES, (Joint Research Council European Union-The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) and the Irish TIMES model used for energy, the integrated modelling project Ireland (GAINS & TIMES), the environmental, economic model ENV-Linkages and ENV-Growth along with the IE3 and AGRI-I models. The review found that data on greenhouse gas emissions for 2019 reveals that emissions can be efficiently lowered if the right initiatives are taken. More precise emission factors and adaptable inventories are urgently needed to improve national CO2 reporting and minimise the agricultural sector’s emissions profile in Ireland. The Climate Action Delivery Act is a centrally driven monitoring and reporting system for climate action delivery that will help in determining optimal decarbonisation from agriculture in Ireland. Multi-modelling approaches will give a better understanding of the technology pathways that will be required to meet decarbonisation ambitions.