Dispossessed by Decarbonisation: Rural Repercussions of Irelands’ Agri-Emissions Trade-off

Critical Ecologies

Ireland has been an exemplar case for the struggle between green commitments and democratic responsibility and, since the Irish Agri-Food sector speaks for over one third of the nations’ emissions profile, the sector has been placed on the frontline of the struggle to combat climate change. By all appearances, Ireland’s climate responsibility division debate is shifting from the classic rural-urban divide to a conversation of intra-rural inequality and recrimination, driven by bottom-up power dynamics. The potential sacrificing of Irish beef to make way for dairy expansion, remains a dominant source of contention within agri-discourse and amid whispers regarding national herd reduction, it is the aim of this discussion to shine light on the need for a Just Transition to low-carbon living, where the social and economic sustainability of all rural lives and livelihoods are more carefully considered. Fundamentally, climate action must be fast but, it must be fair.