The government is delusional if it believes Ireland won\u2019t face billions in EU fines for missing its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe latest analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a bleak assessment of the government\u2019s efforts to meet our legally binding 51 per cent emissions reduction target in five years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report warns that even if every measure in the Climate Action Plan is fully implemented on time, the best we can hope for is a fall of 23 per cent. This is even lower than the 29 per cent reduction projected by the EPA last year, showing that Ireland is going backwards when it comes to our climate responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite dire warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council that Ireland could face EU fines of up to \u20ac26 billion for missing our targets, the government continues to be in denial, with the Taoiseach recently dismissing these fears as \u2018highly speculative\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a blas\u00e9 approach will cost us dearly, not just economically, but also in terms of the severe risks posed by more extreme weather events caused by global warming.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the EPA report, we are making insufficient progress in areas such as onshore wind, offshore wind, electric vehicles and district heating. In transport and agriculture, emissions are projected to remain well above the sectoral ceilings for 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd despite the growth in renewable energy, this is negated by our continued reliance on gas during times of peak demand. In addition, logjams in our planning system are resulting in wind power companies pulling out of Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s report represents a major setback for our climate ambitions. How many more wake-up calls does this government need before it takes this issue seriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
May 28, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The government is delusional if it believes Ireland won\u2019t face billions in EU fines for missing its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate, said: \u201cThe latest analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a bleak assessment of the government\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[405,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n