All policies / Cross-sectoral / CAPMF_SECTOR_CEILINGS
Sectoral emissions ceilings
Framework applying across all sectors, using a framework mechanism; in force since 2022.
About this policy
Divides the carbon budgets into maximum emissions for each sector of the economy, such as electricity, transport, buildings, industry and agriculture. Agreed by Government in July 2022.
Key milestones
- 2022Government agrees sectoral emissions ceilings for the first two budget periods (28 July).
Contextual milestones compiled from official sources. They are not used in the index.
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)
- Government of Ireland. Sectoral Emissions Ceilings. https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/sectoral-emissions-ceilings/ (accessed 25 September 2026)