All policies / Cross-sectoral / CAPMF_NET_ZERO
Statutory climate-neutrality objective for 2050
Framework applying across all sectors, using a framework mechanism; in force since 2021.
About this policy
The statutory national objective, set in the 2021 Act, to achieve a climate-neutral economy no later than 2050.
About this type of instrument: framework legislation and climate governance
Climate policy requires commitments that outlast electoral cycles. Framework laws address this time-inconsistency problem by making targets statutory, creating recurring planning obligations and assigning accountability. Independent advisory bodies reduce information asymmetries between government and parliament.
- Raises the credibility and predictability of long-term policy
- Coordinates action across sectors and departments
- Creates regular accountability through reporting and review
- Acts indirectly, through the instruments it mandates
- Effects are difficult to attribute separately from those instruments
- Targets can be missed without automatic corrective measures
Measurement in this dataset. Framework rows form layer L1 and are assigned to the cross-sectoral category. Implementation is proxied by OECD governance indicators (climate advisory body, net-zero target status). Several frameworks share the same indicator, so they are contextual and must never be added to instrument rows.
Year by year
Filled markers use a matched OECD score; hollow markers use assumed timing. Shaded bands show the policy's status. Select a year on the chart or the slider to see how its intensity is built up.
Data-quality notes
Methodological notes recorded for this series, grouped by theme.
Aggregation warnings
- Framework row: contextual, and never added to instrument rows.
- Should not be interpreted as a separate causal effect.
Scoring conventions
- The unweighted equal-weight index remains positive before the policy starts; use the gated version for timing analysis.
- Bindingness is a normative score from the study rubric, not a measure of observed compliance.
- Coverage is an ordinal scope score, not a measured share of activity or emissions.
Timing assumptions
- The policy has no reported end date; its status after the reporting date is reconstructed as continuing.
Selection context
- Policies were selected using recent (2024–2030) assessments, which can introduce retrospective selection bias.
OECD match quality
- Shares an OECD governance indicator with other framework rows.
Sources
- OECD. Climate Actions and Policies Measurement Framework (CAPMF) database, Ireland, 1990–2023. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ag]=OECD.ENV.EPI&df[id]=DSD_CAPMF@DF_CAPMF (accessed 25 September 2026)
- Irish Statute Book. Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/act/32/enacted/en/html (accessed 25 September 2026)