Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2020

In 2010, estimated environment taxes levied on households were €2.7 billion, representing a 66% share of total environment taxes. In 2019, household environment taxes were €2.6 billion and represented a 52% share of total environment taxes.

Environment taxes levied on service industries were €1.0 billion in 2010, representing a 23% share of total environment taxes. In 2019, environment taxes paid by service industries were €1.6 billion and represented a 32% share of total environment taxes. 

In 2010, the percentage share of total environment taxes levied on industry was 10% while in 2019 it was 15%.

Environment taxes levied on agriculture were €0.04 billion in 2010, representing a 1% share of total environment taxes. In 2019, environment taxes levied on agriculture were €0.06 billion and represented a 1% share of total environment taxes.

In 2018, €1.1 billion was paid in environmental subsidies and similar transfers to Irish corporations, households and public bodies, as well as to international environmental organisations under Irish government commitments.

In 2018, 35% of environmental transfers went to renewable energy production, 22% to biodiversity protection, 21% to wastewater management and 9% to heat and energy saving measures. Other activities, such as climate change mitigation and waste management, accounted for the remaining 14%.

Total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1% to 60.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2016 to 2017.

In 2017, greenhouse gas emissions by the industry sector constituted 34% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector were also 34% of the total.

The household sector was the next largest emitter of greenhouse gases at 21% of the total while the remaining 11% of emissions originated with the services sector.

The volume of total domestic extraction fell from 134.2 million tonnes in 2008 to 69.1 million tonnes in 2011 before increasing to 88.0 million tonnes in 2017.

The principal component of total domestic extraction is the domestic extraction of non-metallic minerals, which fell from 90.7 million tonnes in 2008 to 25.8 million tonnes in 2011, before rising to 45.1 million tonnes in 2017. This pattern reflects the variation in construction activity over this period.

The remaining components of domestic extraction in 2017 were biomass at 33.8 million tonnes, fossil fuels at 6.8 million tonnes and metallic minerals at 2.3 million tonnes.

The BER rating scale is divided into categories from G (largest primary energy usage) to an A1 rating (lowest primary energy usage).

Figure 5.5 shows dwellings built in 2015-2020 were considerably more energy efficient than those built in earlier periods, with 97% given an "A" rating compared with 35% built in 2010-2014 and 1% of those built in 2005-2009.

The mix of energy products used by Irish enterprises in 2017 is given in Figure 5.6.

A kilotonne of oil equivalent (ktoe) is a common unit of measurement which enables quantities of different fuels to be compared and aggregated.

In terms of ktoe, natural gas accounted for 34% of the total ktoe with aviation fuels accounting for a further 25%. Electricity comprised another 13% and solid fuels an additional 12%.

In monetary terms, the proportion of total fuel purchase costs accounted for by each energy product was quite different than the ktoe distribution. Electricity accounted for 32% of total costs while natural gas comprised 22%.

Landings by Irish trawlers decreased by 8.9% from 213,897 tonnes in 2018 to 194,956 tonnes in 2019.

In 2019, Atlantic Mackerel was the species with the highest tonnage (45,986 tonnes) landed by Irish vessels in Irish ports, followed by Blue Whiting (33,548 tonnes) and Horse Mackerel (27,898 tonnes).