About the dataset

Scope and unit of analysis

The dataset covers 34 core policy families and 5 residual sector bundles. Each policy is recorded separately for every sector it affects, giving 47 policy–sector series observed annually from 2000 to 2023 (1,128 observations). For each observation, the dataset records the policy's status, its implementation level, and fixed scores for legal scope (coverage) and compulsion (bindingness). These are combined into a relative policy-intensity index.

Data sources

OECD Climate Actions and Policies Measurement Framework (CAPMF)

The CAPMF is a harmonised database that scores the stringency of climate policies on a 0–10 scale for OECD and partner countries from 1990. It covers 130 policy variables, aggregated into 56 policy categories within sectoral, cross-sectoral and international modules. Here it provides annual, comparable measures of how stringent a matched policy type was in Ireland.

EEA database on national policies and measures (PaMs)

EU Member States report their climate and energy policies and measures to the European Commission under Article 18 of the Governance Regulation (EU) 2018/1999. The European Environment Agency publishes these reports as a searchable database. Ireland's records provide policy names, descriptions, instrument types, implementation periods and ex-ante and ex-post estimates of emission savings.

Supplementary official sources

Legal commencement dates and scopes were verified against the Irish Statute Book, Oireachtas records, Revenue, SEAI, the EPA and EU legislation. Every source appears on the relevant policy page and on the Methods page.

How the two sources are combined

The two sources are structurally different: the CAPMF is a stringency scoring framework, whereas the EEA database is a registry of individual measures. They are linked at the level of the policy instrument. EEA records define the policies and supply the evidence used to select them. Where an OECD indicator describes the same instrument or its family, its annual score sets the policy's implementation level. Where no indicator applies, a transparent assumed timing profile is used and flagged. Selection follows two rules: measures that together account for 90% of each sector's reported savings, and named instruments anchored in the OECD framework. The full procedure is documented on the Methods page.

Intended use and limitations

The dataset is designed for descriptive analysis of policy development and as an input to research on policy effectiveness. It is not an estimate of emissions avoided. In particular:

• The intensity index is a relative composite built from ordinal judgement scores. Its multiplicative form is a stated convention, not an empirically validated weighting.
• Where no OECD indicator applies, implementation follows assumed timing profiles. These years are flagged and should be tested in sensitivity analyses.
• Reported savings come from recent assessments and are used only for selection. This introduces retrospective selection bias, which should be considered in causal applications.
• Frameworks, portfolios and residual bundles overlap with other rows and are not additive.
• Validation consists of 20 internal consistency checks. Independent expert review of classifications, dates and scores is recommended before use in formal evaluation.

Key literature

1. Nachtigall, D., Lutz, L., Cárdenas Rodríguez, M., Haščič, I. and Pizarro, R. (2022). The climate actions and policies measurement framework: A structured and harmonised climate policy database to monitor countries' mitigation action. OECD Environment Working Papers, No. 203. OECD Publishing, Paris.
2. Kruse, T., Dechezleprêtre, A., Saffar, R. and Robert, L. (2022). Measuring environmental policy stringency in OECD countries: An update of the OECD composite EPS indicator. OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 1703. OECD Publishing, Paris.
3. Stechemesser, A., Koch, N., Mark, E., Dilger, E., Klösel, P., Menicacci, L., Nachtigall, D., Pretis, F., Ritter, N., Schwarz, M., Vossen, H. and Wenzel, A. (2024). Climate policies that achieved major emission reductions: Global evidence from two decades. Science, 385(6711), 884–892.
4. Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (Article 18: reporting on policies and measures and projections).
5. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1208 on the structure, format, submission processes and review of information reported by Member States pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.
6. OECD and European Commission Joint Research Centre (2008). Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide. OECD Publishing, Paris.
7. IPCC (2022). Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report, Chapter 13: National and Sub-national Policies and Institutions. Cambridge University Press.
8. Environmental Protection Agency (2026). Ireland's Final Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990–2024. EPA, Wexford.