The non-farm business sector, which covers a diverse range of activity, accounts for just under a quarter of our harmful emissions. To date, this system has not worked as expected, resulting in much too low a price for carbon and too weak a signal to business. One of the continuing concerns is that policies designed to eliminate carbon emissions from business could make Irish-based businesses uncompetitive in a global world. So getting firms to think about how they could do their business better by reducing emissions can have a wider positive impact on business success. There is also evidence of peer effects, so that once one business burnishes its green image, neighbours may also feel the need to make some changes.

Source: The Irish Times January 15, 2021 05:03 UTC