25 June 2025
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
A new study has revealed that Cork is the third most sustainable place to live in Ireland.
The research, carried out Calor Gas, Ireland’s leading LPG supplier analysed key sustainability indicators across all 26 counties — including forest coverage, air quality, EV infrastructure, the number of A-rated homes, solar panel installations, and the number of high CO₂ emitting vehicles per capita.
Each county was given a combined index score based on performance across all categories to determine an overall Sustainability Score out of 400.
Cork ranks third with a Sustainability Score of 346.9. The county stood out for its high EV infrastructure and highest forest area in the country (92,471 hectares) making it one of the best-performing regions in the country when it comes to environmental progress.
Ireland’s Top 10 Most Sustainable Counties
The ten highest-ranking counties for overall sustainability are:
• Meath – 398.2
• Clare – 368.6
• Cork – 346.9
• Louth – 337.7
• Kildare – 328.3
• Wicklow – 326.7
• Wexford – 294.7
• Galway – 292.7
• Offaly – 289.7
• Carlow – 284.7
Louise Carrick, Head of Marketing and CX at Calor Gas commented:
“While some of the top performers benefit from natural advantages like forest cover, others are seeing the payoff from local policies and sustainability efforts in switching to greener forms of energy like BioLPG.
“As Ireland continues its transition to a low-carbon economy, counties leading in infrastructure, home efficiency, and clean transport are setting the benchmark for future growth.”
For more information, visit: https://www.calorgas.ie/blog/