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Environmental Economy

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9.1 Ireland: Environmental tax revenue 2000-2017

  • Environmental taxation revenue increased by 62% from an annual average of €3.2 billion in 2000-2004 to €5.2 billion in 2017. The most significant components of environmental taxes were energy and transport taxes which provided 62% and 37% respectively of the total in 2017. Environmental taxes accounted for 7.8% of total taxation in 2017.
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Pollution/ResourceTransportEnergy
Latvia0.241.499.96
Slovenia0.41.28.96
Greece02.057.78
Bulgaria0.231.128.22
Croatia0.042.247
Romania0.020.918.09
Estonia0.90.177.8
Cyprus0.022.026.78
Netherlands1.182.614.89
Denmark0.433.44.76
Malta0.593.484.46
Italy0.091.476.65
Poland0.430.687.03
Ireland0.0933.0544.924
Portugal0.051.965.52
United Kingdom0.221.675.33
Finland0.082.194.78
Hungary0.980.925.1
Lithuania0.320.295.87
EU0.211.244.84
Czech Republic0.040.395.64
Austria0.052.023.54
Slovakia0.080.564.97
Spain0.250.694.59
Sweden0.061.013.97
Belgium0.31.513.19
France0.280.564.05
Germany00.823.95
Luxembourg0.070.334.18
  • Environmental taxes accounted for 8.1% of Ireland’s total tax revenues in 2016. This was the joint 13th highest percentage in the EU and above the EU average of 6.3 %. Latvia was the EU Member State with the highest environmental share of total tax revenue in 2016 at 11.7%.
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9.2 Ireland: Environmental subsidies and similar transfers 2000-2016

  • Environmental subsidies and similar transfers in Ireland increased from an annual average of €566 million in 2000-2004 to over €1.2 billion in 2008. They declined to €540 million in 2013 before increasing again to €772 million in 2016.
  • Transfers associated with energy generation from renewable sources increased from an annual average of 1% of all environmental transfers in 2000-2004 to 35% in 2016. Transfers associated with waste water management fell from 61% of total environmental transfers in 2000-2004 to 27% in 2016.
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9.3 Ireland: Wholesale price index for energy products 1980-2017

PetrolAutodieselElectricityEnergy products
2005100100100100
2006108106.3107.1108.6
2007112.5109.4119.5118.4
2008122.3126.6122.4128.2
2009117106.7120.6119.5
2010132.683333333333124.775115.2123.108333333333
2011145.2138.6115.2128.7
2012152.23436928702144.837623762376119.376127320955134.394690265487
2013148.518098720292141.594059405941122.228116710875135.078053097345
2014145.465447897623137.10297029703108.986737400531123.574778761062
2015136125101112
20161311198397
201713712590105
  • Wholesale prices for most fuel types in Ireland (except electricity) peaked in 2012 before falling back over the 2013-2016 period. Prices increased again in 2017.
  • Fuel oil prices increased more than any other fuel type over the 2005-2017 period with its wholesale price index rising to 152 in 2017. The wholesale price index for electricity fell to 90% of its 2005 figure in 2017.
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9.4 Ireland: Consumer price index for energy products 2000-2017

ElectricityGasSolid fuelsPetrolDiesel
200065.548.86887.582.9
200165.749.973.58172.9
200271.550.176.583.975.9
200379.25378.784.578.5
200484.855.681.592.886.8
20059664.787.7100.799.4
200610081.894.4107.5104.7
2007111.690.6102.6108.9105.1
2008114.391.2112116.9121.7
2009115.893.7120.5107.799.3
2010111.783.6117.5126.7119.4
2011119.189.1118.2144.2138.7
2012132.6102.7118.6157.7151.4
2013140109.5123153.1146.1
2014145111.8131147.8140.5
2015144.8109.2134.8132.8122.3
2016139.7105.9134.3124.3111.1
2017138.3104.2133.9132.2120.7
  • The consumer price index for electricity in Ireland increased from 100 in December 2006 to 138 in 2017, higher than for any other energy product. In contrast, gas prices increased by only 4% over the same period. The consumer price index for other energy products grew by between 14% and 34% from December 2006 to 2017.
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9.5 EU: Harmonised index of consumer prices for energy products 2017

  • In 2017, Ireland had the 18th highest increase in the harmonised consumer price index (HICP) for energy products among EU Member States compared with 2005. The increase in the Irish HICP over the 2005-2016 period was 41%, which was less than the EU average of 51%. Latvia had the largest increase at 129% while Luxembourg and the Netherlands had the joint lowest increase of 17% in 2017 compared with 2005.
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9.6 Ireland: Domestic material consumption 1995-2015

  • Domestic extraction of resources in Ireland increased from an annual average of 85.8 million tonnes in 1995-1999 to 153.6 million tonnes in 2007, before falling to 77.1 million tonnes in 2014. The 2015 figure for domestic extraction was 77.3 million tonnes.
  • Domestic material consumption (DMC) increased from an annual average of 101.8 million tonnes in 1995-1999 to 181.2 million tonnes in 2007, before falling to 91.4 million tonnes in 2012. In 2015 DMC had increased to 97.9 million tonnes.
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9.7 Ireland: Imports and exports of fuels 1995-2017

  • Ireland’s import of fuels increased from €1.1 billion in 1995-1999 to €7.2 billion in 2012. Imports subsequently fell to €3.8 billion in 2016 before increasing to €4.7 billion in 2017.
  • Exports of fuels from Ireland increased from €163 million in 1995-1999 to €1.6 billion in 2012. Exports fell to €691 million in 2016 before rising again to €1 billion in 2017.
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9.8 Ireland: Sea fishery landings by Irish vessels in Ireland 2007-2016

  • Sea fishery landings by Irish vessels in Irish ports varied between 149,200 tonnes and 249,200 tonnes over the period from 2007 to 2016. In 2016 this figure was 207,600 tonnes.
  • Atlantic Mackerel was the most common species landed in Irish ports by Irish vessels at 31% of the total in 2016, followed by Horse Mackerel at 13% of the total in that year.

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