Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
314. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress in emission reduction targets in areas that are the responsibility of her Department; which measures are particularly successful and which measures are underperforming; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67046/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My Department’s policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty-six research programmes at various stages.
It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and this is reflected in the department’s [School Sector Technical Climate Action Roadmap] which was published in 2023 and updated in 2024.
The decarbonisation of the school sector is the most significant element of my department’s climate action requirements and this roadmap highlights the need for a flexible and tailored approach to the decarbonisation of the school sector to enable the school sector to meet the required targets. The principal challenge lies in the area of decarbonisation of heating with renewable heating systems and to improve the energy performance of schools that were built at a time when fuel was plentiful, relatively cheap and technology and material choices were not as advanced as today. The roadmap has been developed based on one of the core principles of the pathfinder programmes, namely taking a progressive approach, where investments made do not require dismantling /removal within their lifespan.
The measures currently in place to support the school sector transitioning to using renewable sources of energy centre on the following key areas:
• Decarbonisation of new school building projects entering design under the School Building Programme.
• Completion of the School Energy Profile Inventory to establish the energy base line of the school estate enabling targeting and evaluating optimum choices for efficient and effective energy investment.
• Expansion of the Pathfinder Decarbonisation Programme which is evaluating and demonstrating the approach to energy efficiency and carbon reduction in the school sector with energy efficiency solutions and renewable heat technologies, including maximising renewable heating options in existing schools by transitioning high carbon fossil fuel towards renewable heating.
• Delivering the Climate Action Focused Summer Works Programme to progress climate action specific initiatives.
• Completion of rollout of 6 kW Photovoltaic Panels in schools, funded under the Climate Action Fund.
The latest SEAI published Annual Report (2024) on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance notes that schools and ETB’s are down 23% on total CO2 by subsector.
In relation to Education for Sustainable Development; Ireland's 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development was jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), in consultation with key stakeholders. It aims to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals target 4.7.
Some of the key achievements to date under ESD to 2030 are as follows:
• Publication of two progress reports on the implementation of ESD to 2030 across the education sectors (November 2023 and September 2025)
• Adoption by UNESCO of ESD to 2030 as Ireland's Country Initiative for ESD and a spotlight on "How Ireland Promotes Youth engagement in Education for Sustainable Development"
Delivery of circa €466,000 to 21 organisations in Summer 2025 for ESD projects in schools
• Delivery of ESD to 2030 funding to schools across the country in 2025 to be announced shortly. €479,000 was delivered to 190 schools (primary and post primary) in 2024 for ESD projects
• Delivery of almost €500,000 in funding for ten youth-led climate justice projects happening across Ireland in 2025.
• Introduction of the new Leaving Certificate subject "Climate Action and Sustainable Development" in 42 network schools from September 2025
• Introduction of the new primary curriculum "Social and Environmental Education" from September 2026.
• Publication of the "Managing School Grounds for Biodiversity" basic biodiversity training course for non-teaching school staff, in collaboration with Biodiversity Ireland, in accordance with the recommendation from the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss
• Publication of a quarterly ESD Newsletter to all schools.
• Publication of a Sustainability Toolkit for Schools and mapping of school Sustainability Policy Statements to support implementation of the School Sector Climate Action Mandate.
• Publication of an Inspectorate Report "Living Today for a Better Tomorrow": Insights into effective practice in education for sustainable development in early learning and care settings and schools.
In relation to my department’s own office buildings, significant progress has been made in energy efficiency, having exceeded the 50% target in 2024, with energy performance improving by 54.3% since the baseline (2009).
My department must also reduce energy related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 51% in 2030, from a baseline which is an average of 2016-2018 emissions. The target comes in two parts – emissions associated with thermal energy (for heating and transport) “Fossil CO2 emissions”, and overall energy related emissions (including electricity), “Total CO2 emissions”.
My department is on target to meet its Total CO2 requirements, in 2024 it reached a figure 37.9% below the baseline figure, however the 51% reduction in Fossil CO2 emissions remains a challenge.
In 2024, fossil CO2 was 16.5% below the baseline figure. The Office of Public Works, in its role as National Estate Portfolio Lead under the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate 2025, will play a significant role in assisting the department to undertake projects which will allow us to meet our targets.
These projects, set out in our 2025 Climate Action Roadmap, include improved insulation, energy efficient lighting, the fitting of solar panels in various campuses and the alteration of the gas heating system to electric heat pumps on two campuses.
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 180,000 children, including over 150,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, close to 24,000 pupils with special educational needs, and 5,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis on over 8,600 vehicles to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
School transport contributes to transport sector emissions (currently under the sectoral ceiling of the Department of Transport). However, increased use of school transport can reduce emissions from multiple car journeys and thus overall sectoral emissions.
The Transport chapter of the Climate Action Plan includes a target to increase the number of journeys taken using sustainable travel (cycling, walking and public transport) by an additional 125,000 journeys by 2025 and a 30% shift in escort to education car journeys to more sustainable modes of transport by 2030.
The Department has completed a review of the School Transport Scheme. The analysis conducted as part of the published School Transport Review has illustrated how the scheme can support economic, social and environmental sustainability. With regard to environmental sustainability, the analysis demonstrates how the scheme can advance climate action targets and promote more sustainable modes of transport to our schools. The overall trajectory recommended in the review to decrease car journeys to school and get more children and young people to access school via public transport and safe cycling and walking routes, if achieved, will bring enormous benefits to local communities.
The analysis conducted in the Review demonstrated that changes to the eligibility criteria for the School Transport Scheme may lead to significant increases in demand for School Transport Scheme services. Activating this demand has potential significant benefits with regards to wider policy objectives to reduce car dependency, promote sustainable travel and reduce transport emissions.
The Review recommends amending the eligibility criteria to accommodate up to an additional 100,000 children by 2030; this could contribute nearly 70% of the Climate Action Plan target of a 30% modal shift for escort to education journeys.
