The Government’s 2025 climate action plan published this week is underwhelming and an inadequate response to the increasingly dire consequences of a warming world. It fails to build on critical targets and actions, including making Ireland more resilient to withstand extreme weather events being exacerbated by climate change. The country is making progress but still coming up short on responsiveness to what is unfolding.
Failure is confirmed by stubbornly high carbon emissions. Specifically, there is a glaring absence of detailed measures to close the emissions gap and to meet the legally binding demands of the 2021-2025 carbon budget. A failure to rein in key sectors in this period makes the already demanding 2026-2030 budget more arduous.
And an unusually outspoken report from the National Economic and Social Council, published on Friday, says that Ireland’s policy on the transition to green energy is lacking clarity, with the key players not on the same page. Questions about how the transition will be made remain unanswered, it finds. It is another area where turning plans into action is proving difficult.
The Government may be tempted by short-term rowback measures being pursued by other countries , such as go-slow on more demanding climate actions – dismissing them as too onerous – or deciding that soft pedalling would be prudent amid geopolitical uncertainty.
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This administration should instead take a hard look at the forecast financial consequences of failure to meet targets. Compliance costs of ¤10 billion plus are on the horizon. On top of punitive purchases of carbon credits required in 2030 are the mounting costs of here-and-now climate disruption. The bill in Ireland for January’s Storm Éowyn is likely to top €500 million.
We are told the 2026 climate plan will have the stamp of the new coalition and will build significantly on current ambition and close the gaps. The absence of progress to date, especially on transport and a persistent methane problem in agriculture, provides little reassurance the next iteration will pass the “go further, go faster” test.
There was one significant policy approved at Cabinet this week; agreement on designating multiple areas for offshore wind development. This means that instead of a sequential roll-out of sites, starting off on the south coast and moving to the west, multiple locations will be selected and State contracts will be auctioned in one go.
This should allow alignment of offshore wind with infrastructure planning, while providing certainty to investors and developers. If done in a timely way, it will boost the State’s energy independence and security. Ultimately, it can deliver cheaper energy and real climate action. But only if this plan, unlike so many other parts of policy, actually leads to determined action.
