The Commission believes that the climate transition in Ireland’s built environment presents a significant opportunity. Done well, it can deliver warmer, healthier and more resilient homes and buildings, lower energy costs, good-quality employment and stronger communities, while reducing emissions and Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels. This transition must now accelerate, rapidly improving existing buildings, reducing energy demand and moving away from fossil-fuel heating.
The Commission cautions, however, that these outcomes are not automatic. A transition that reduces emissions without addressing existing inequalities risks leaving some people and communities behind. Equally, a transition that does not deliver lasting reductions in energy demand and fossil-fuel use will not deliver the structural change required. A Just Transition is not an argument for slower climate action, it is about ensuring that faster action delivers fairer outcomes. Climate and social outcomes must be achieved together.
Through its engagements, the Commission heard that people do not have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from the transition. Income, housing tenure, location and personal circumstances affect the choices available to
people. Those experiencing energy poverty and living in poorly performing homes can face some of the greatest barriers to improving them, while renters and social housing tenants may have limited control over decisions about their homes. The existence of supports is therefore not, on its own, a measure of a Just Transition. People need fair and realistic pathways to participate, including appropriate financial support, trusted advice and practical assistance. Public investment should prioritise those with the greatest need and ensure that households facing the greatest barriers are proactively supported.
The Commission also heard that where people live matters. Access to skills, services, infrastructure, funding and community capacity differs across Ireland. Public investment should recognise these differences. Place-based and community approaches can respond to local needs and enable people to play a greater role in shaping the transition.
The transition can also create good-quality employment and strengthen Ireland’s skills base. Green jobs should also be good jobs. Long-term public investment should support decent work, training and apprenticeships, provide greater
certainty for workers and businesses, and widen access to employment opportunities.
Better evidence will be essential to understanding whether the transition is just. Success should not be measured only through buildings upgraded or energy performance and emissions reductions, but through outcomes for people, workers and communities. These outcomes should include reducing energy poverty, improving housing quality and resilience, creating good jobs, widening access to public investment and enabling meaningful participation.
Ultimately, the Commission believes that a Just Transition in the built environment should improve people’s everyday lives. Achieving this will require Ireland to move at pace, while ensuring that the people and places with the greatest need are at the forefront of the transition.
Read the report here