It is now all but inevitable that Ireland will face billions in EU fines for not meeting its legally binding emissions reduction targets by 2030, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s climate spokesperson, said:
“The latest assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must not be ignored. It confirms that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions only decreased by two per cent in 2024, compared to a 6.8 per cent reduction the previous year.
“This slippage puts Ireland at risk of EU compliance costs at the higher end of the scale – up to €26 billion – for not meeting our 51 per cent greenhouse emissions reduction target by the end of the decade.
“In fact, the EPA recently projected we would only achieve a 23 per cent decrease by 2030 – more than half of where we need to be. This fact was conceded by Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien at an Oireachtas committee hearing earlier this week.
“The minister also gave a somewhat blasé response when asked about the potential for billions in EU fines. But the government is delusional if it does not accept that severe financial consequences are now a very real threat.
“Such complacency will also put Ireland at risk of more extreme weather events. We only need to look to the unprecedented early summer heatwaves currently impacting southern Europe for a glimpse of what the future will look like if we don’t rapidly change course.
“Urgent action is now required. This means a revised Climate Action Plan that will give us a realistic chance of meeting our targets – and the political will to make the difficult but necessary decisions to reduce our emissions.”
July 4, 2025