Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has accused the government of throwing in the towel on climate action after Minister Darragh O’Brien admitted that the State would only reduce greenhouse emissions by half of its 51 per cent target by 2030.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on climate, said:
“It is incredibly disheartening, but hardly surprising, to hear the minister concede defeat on Ireland’s climate action ambitions.
“Last year, both the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) and the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) jointly warned that this country faces compliance costs ranging from €8 billion to €26 billion if we miss our legally binding EU targets. At the time, the Climate Minister sought to play down the serious financial risk facing the country, dismissively describing the fine projections as a ‘back of an envelope’ calculation.
“What we’re hearing today from the minister is a staggering admission of failure – something that climate activists, scientists and Opposition politicians have been warning about for some time.
“The billions in fines we face is money that could have been used to save us from disaster. It should have been invested in renewable energy, large-scale retrofitting schemes and key public transport infrastructure.
“And even though the transport sector continues to be one of the main polluters, we have seen important projects like MetroLink delayed for decades. Such snail’s pace progress is the reason so many people are reluctant to get out of their cars.
“Given this government’s shameful track record on climate action, Minister O’Brien’s belief that substantial and rapid reductions will be seen from the early 2030s onwards – once offshore wind power is added to the national grid – is difficult to take seriously.
“By kicking the climate action can down the road, the minister is shifting responsibility for reducing our greenhouse emissions onto the next government.
“We need leadership now, not excuses. Instead of raising the white flag and accepting failure, it’s time for the government to get real about our climate emergency.”
January 7, 2026