Ireland's Energy Imbalance: Impacts on Local Farming

Introduction

Most global climate reports pass by without much impact at farm level. There’s usually enough going on closer to home, weather, markets, ground conditions, without trying to interpret global energy data.

But occasionally, something cuts through.

A recent report highlighted by RTÉ found that the Earth is now storing heat at a rate equivalent to 18 times the total energy used by humanity every year. More importantly, this has been the pattern for the past two decades.

It’s a stark way of describing what is, at its core, a simple issue: the system is no longer in balance.

Where the imbalance is building

What makes the finding more relevant is where that energy is going.

More than 90% of the excess heat is being absorbed by the oceans. For Ireland, that matters more than it might at first glance. Our climate is closely tied to the Atlantic, and changes in ocean behaviour tend to feed directly into weather patterns.

When ocean temperatures shift, so too does the way weather systems develop, how much moisture they carry, how quickly they move, and how predictable they are.

The effect is rarely dramatic in isolation. It tends to show up more gradually, in how conditions behave over time.

A trend rather than an event

This is not a short-term development. Globally, the period from 2015 to 2025 has been recorded as the hottest 11 years on record, which gives a sense of how consistent the underlying trend has been.

From a farming perspective, the issue is not temperature alone. It is how reliable conditions are, how seasons transition, how long ground remains workable, and how often plans have to be adjusted.

That variability is what creates pressure.

Implications at farm level

On the ground, the effects are practical rather than theoretical.

Conditions may not look dramatically different year to year, but they are less predictable. Periods of wet weather can persist longer than expected, while opportunities to carry out field work or grazing can narrow.

That tends to affect:

• Soil trafficability.
• Grazing windows.
• Timing of spreading and planting.
• Overall soil condition over the season.

None of this is unfamiliar. What is changing is the frequency and consistency with which these challenges arise.

Energy, cost and policy

Alongside weather, energy is increasingly shaping the environment in which farms operate.

In Ireland, emissions are currently declining at around 2.7% per year, while reductions of more than 5% annually are required to meet 2030 targets. That gap is significant, and it points to further policy pressure ahead.

At the same time, energy underpins key farm inputs; fuel, fertiliser and transport, meaning changes in the energy system are felt directly in production costs.

Progress and pressure within the energy system

There has been clear progress in renewable energy.

In 2024, renewable sources accounted for 41.3% of Ireland’s electricity supply, with a target of reaching 80% by 2030.

However, demand is increasing at the same time. Between 2015 and 2024, data centres were responsible for 88.2% of the increase in electricity demand in Ireland.

This creates a more complex picture. While supply is becoming cleaner, overall pressure on the system remains.

A changing operating environment

Taken together, these factors point to a gradual shift rather than a single turning point.

A more active climate system, driven by excess energy, brings greater variability. At the same time, the transition in energy policy introduces additional economic and regulatory pressures.

For farms, this translates into a more complex operating environment, one where both physical conditions and external requirements are evolving.

Conclusion

The figure at the centre of this, energy being stored at 18 times global human consumption each year, is striking, but it is ultimately a signal rather than a conclusion.

It points to a system that is carrying more energy and behaving accordingly.

Irish farming has always adapted to changing conditions. That remains true.

What is different now is the pace of change, and the extent to which global developments are shaping local realities.

Over time, that connection becomes harder to ignore, not because of the headlines, but because of how it shows up in day-to-day decisions on farms.

*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.