What would it be like to live in a place where the government and the people took threats to the environment and the effects of climate change seriously?
My husband and I have been living in Dublin, Ireland for the past four months. The Republic of Ireland is roughly half the population of New Jersey and covers four times as much land. Unlike New Jersey, Ireland is a sovereign nation. It also has four widely read newspapers, its own television and radio stations, and a strong sense of national identity. As a member of the EU, however, Ireland participates in a larger economic and regulatory entity, in some ways analogous to our relationship to the federal government. With that in mind, here are a few things about the Irish response to the climate crisis that stand out to us after living here for just a short time.
Dublin and many other Irish cities are aggressively promoting policies to reduce car traffic and increase use of mass transportation. US policymakers have long given up attempts to wean Americans from our cars, even though climate scientists know that widespread public transportation and moving goods by rail are far, far more energy efficient.
First and foremost, the Irish are making it easier, cheaper, and more convenient to take public transportation. Bus routes and schedules have been revamped and expanded. Fares are shockingly low (to us), and residents over 66 are entitled to ride free, throughout Ireland. These measures seem to be highly effective: Ireland’s ridership figures show that passenger numbers in 2023 were 5% higher than in 2019, the previous record year.
Bike paths are everywhere in the city, and their numbers are increasing. Following the advice of cycling advocates, these cycle paths are protected from car traffic by concrete planters, low barriers or areas for cars to park. Many Irish cities, including Dublin, plan to close more city streets to car traffic. My husband and I see parades of riders, dressed for the weather and wearing lights at night, making their way to work, the supermarket, or elsewhere on their bikes, e-bikes, and electric scooters.
As bike paths widen, cars are getting the squeeze. This is part of a plan to make cities less attractive to car drivers. Rather than institute congestion fees or fines for drivers, Irish cities are simply making it darned inconvenient to drive in the city. A bus or a bike seems like a better option when it’s just as fast, and it’s far less frustrating.
We feel that we are living in an environmentally conscious country for other reasons, as well. Recycling is taken seriously. Our apartment building has bins for recycling all plastic, including thin-film plastic, as well as bottles, cans, paper and cardboard, and even organic waste. Recycling is the norm, rather than the exception, and most Irish people seem to be compliant.
In 2002, Ireland became the first country to impose a mandatory charge for plastic bags: 24¢/bag. This led to a 90% drop in use of plastic bags. Everyone carries their own bags to go shopping. Plastic straws and disposable cutlery simply can’t be found.
Ireland is also taking strong steps to help its citizens heat their homes more efficiently. Most Irish homes are heated with electricity, and the country gets 39% of its electric power from renewables, but, perhaps because the winters are mild, many older buildings have drafty windows and poor insulation. The government offers grants and loans that make it very low cost, even free, to bring a home up to a “B” grade rating (the highest possible for existing building construction).
High electricity prices (~49¢/kWh daytime, ~24¢ at night) are a powerful incentive to lower one’s heating bill. High prices may also be the reason many Irish families have switched to efficient induction cooktops, eschew their clothes dryers, and hang onto their small refrigerators. Our electric utility offers an app that lets us see exactly how much we spend every day. We clearly see the cost of running laundry during the daytime, or with hot water vs cold.
Our apartment complex, built just four years ago, has an A2 energy rating. In practical terms this means that, because of good insulation, we’ve never had to turn on the heat. The apartment stays at 68º F. even when the temperatures are in the 30s.
The above are my observations, after living only a short time in Ireland. I know there are exceptions to what I’ve seen. Large swaths of the country aren’t well served by public transportation. Plenty of houses are so badly insulated that, as one friend quipped, “You may as well be outside.” Cigarette butts and discarded vape pens litter the streets, and on windy nights, plastic bags cluster like tumbleweeds on Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
I can’t help feeling that, despite the imperfections one could point out, Ireland’s legislators and its people, in company with most of Europe, are facing the threat of climate change and environmental disaster quite directly and bravely, instead of postponing action to focus on an upcoming election, legislative crisis, or war.
It is heartening to see this example, to live in this way, and to imagine that it could be possible in New Jersey.