We\u2019re approaching the last chance saloon of reaching our climate targets unless substantive actions are put forward in the 2025 Climate Action Plan, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, the party\u2019s climate spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe previous publication of the Climate Action Plan only met 29% of the required 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a frightening shortcoming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are only so many task forces you can create, reports you can write, and recommendations you can issue before meaningful measures must be taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s European State of the Climate Report confirms that 2024 was Europe\u2019s hottest year on record in what is the world\u2019s fastest-warming continent, ramping up risk of severe weather events and putting lives at risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the government waiting to hear before it begins to take this generation-defining issue seriously?<\/p>\n
\u201cEffective policy is no use if efforts aren\u2019t made to implement it in a timely fashion – in terms of the climate disaster, we\u2019re very much fighting against the clock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see real ambition from government in terms of our 2030 targets, but as of now it\u2019s clear they\u2019re not being treated as a priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cEuropean Union fines are looming, yet the state is acting as if they\u2019re just a hypothetical, not something we\u2019re on a collision course with.<\/p>\n
\u201cExisting barriers, such as the lack of development of essential renewable infrastructure in the form of offshore wind and solar panels, have yet to be addressed or allocated sufficient investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore and more offshore wind providers are at risk of cancelling their proposed developments if they do not receive assurances that they will receive adequate funding and that regulatory red tape will be eased.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout real action, these cancellations are unavoidable, as highlighted by the halting of the Sceirde Rocks Windfarm project yesterday, which was due to deliver power for 350,000 homes and save 550,000 tonnes of carbon per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the other hand, farmers and agribusiness have not received the necessary supports or them to adapt to new regulations – this is exemplified in the months-long delay of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking farmers to make the green transition without providing them with the supports they need and were promised was always going to result in a stalemate, yet there\u2019s been no urgency from the state thus far to rectify the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s already mid-April and we\u2019re only now going to see the Climate Action Plan – the publication process requires more transparency and accountability in this respect so that it is timely and released at regular intervals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Climate Action Plan should always be released in December of each year, without exception – the climate crisis will not make an exception for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time government presents a viable plan to achieve our climate goals, and I hope the 2025 Climate Action Plan will represent a turning point in the way in which we view this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 15th, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re approaching the last chance saloon of reaching our climate targets unless substantive actions are put forward in the 2025 Climate Action Plan, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, the party\u2019s climate spokesperson, said: \u201cThe previous publication of the Climate Action Plan only met 29% of the required 51% reduction in overall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[405,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n