*4.2. Environmental Outlook*

From an environmental perspective, all scenarios examined exhibited a net CO2 reduction ranging between 2 and 173 tonnes CO2-eq. per year (Table 6). If the widespread deployment of SSAD were to occur in Ireland, a CO2 reduction of at least 211,349 tonnes could be achieved if 20% of all farms with >250 dairy cows (61 farm holdings) were to implement the technology [27]. Ireland's expected failure to meet its EU 2020 commitments will put further pressure on the state to undertake a climate action policy, due to the compensation (in the form of carbon credits) it will be forced to pay [88]. In addition, the state has also committed itself to at least a 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, resulting in a need for long-term climate action policy [89].
