Thanks to an extensive program of activities to reduce and offset its carbon emissions in recent years, Dublin Airport has become the first airport in Ireland to achieve carbon neutral status. The airport was formally designated as Level 3+ carbon neutral by the global Airport Carbon Accreditation program.
The airport reduced its carbon footprint by 12% between 2018 and 2019 and has reduced its overall carbon emissions by 25% between 2013 and 2019, despite a 63% increase in passenger numbers during the same period. The accreditation was based on data from 2019.
Dublin Airport has introduced a range of energy management measures in recent years that allow it to monitor and improve its overall energy use across the campus. The use of building management systems, the installation of efficient LED lighting, a pilot solar farm project and a range of other measures have all helped the airport to significantly reduce its overall energy consumption.
In 2019, Dublin Airport had reduced its energy consumption levels by 48% compared to the average consumption levels in 2006-2008.
“Dublin Airport is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment and achieving carbon neutrality is a hugely important milestone on that journey,” said Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison. “We have been working tirelessly to reduce the amount of energy that we use at the airport for many years and are very pleased with the formal recognition of carbon neutral status. But carbon neutrality is not enough. We must go significantly further, and we are dedicated to doing that. We plan to reduce our overall energy consumption by a further 30% by 2030 and we’re committed to becoming net zero for our carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.”
Dublin Airport committed to net zero carbon by 2050 last year along with almost 200 other European airports in a landmark move for the airport industry. The deadline of 2050 was aligned with the decarbonization strategy set out by the European Commission and adopted by the Council of the European Union.
Dublin Airport’s future plans include moving all its light vehicle fleet to Low emission vehicles (LEV) by 2024 and building a second solar farm on campus, with the potential to generate up to 7.5 megawatts of power.