It is scandalous that Ireland is facing billions of euros in fines because of the Government’s failure to meet its climate targets, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on climate and biodiversity, said:
“According to the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, Ireland is set to miss its greenhouse gas targets by a considerable distance.
“EPA analysis shows that planned climate policies and measures, even if fully implemented, will only deliver a 29 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 – well below the 51 per cent target in the Government’s Climate Action Plan.
“The EPA warns that almost all sectors, including agriculture, electricity and transport, are on a trajectory to exceed their national sectoral emissions ceilings for 2025 and 2030.
“We do not have the luxury of time to avoid a climate emergency. In addition, Ireland will face colossal fines from the EU, amounting to anything between €3bn and €8bn, if we don’t get this right. This is a scandalous amount of money to waste.
“These latest results are the exact same as last year’s EPA projections, which beg the question: where exactly has Minister Eamon Ryan been for the past 12 months?
“Despite all the rhetoric and spin, this Government is not doing what needs to be done to meet our climate targets.”
May 28, 2024