Ireland to ban new petrol and diesel cars

The Irish government, pictured above, plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 to ensure all new cars in 11 years' time are electric vehicles (EV). 

The Climate Action Plan states that the Republic of Ireland is "way off course" in its attempts to achieve its emissions targets, according to the BBC. 

Unveiling the plan on June 17, the Environment Minister ​Richard Bruton said Ireland was "currently 85 per cent dependent on fossil fuels".

He said that at a time when the state's carbon footprint should be reducing, Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions "have been rising rapidly" and that trend had to be reversed.

According to Bruton, the plan would put Ireland "on a trajectory to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050", and there will be a projected 950,000 EVs on Irish roads.

The government is set to invest in a "nationwide" charging network to power the new vehicles.

By 2025, at least one recharging point will be required at new non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces, says the BBC. 

Additionally, the government said it would stop granting National Car Test (NCT) certificates to such vehicles by 2045.

The compulsory inspection programme is carried out every year on vehicles that are more than 10 years old.